The Veiled Beast (Rewrite of Curses and Choices)
by sildarmillion
Summary: BatB genderbend inspired, this is the story of a cursed princess who decides to overcome her beast-like appearance, dons a veil, makes new friends, and resolves to fight for her kingdom, which she is surely going to lose to a scheming foreign prince.
1. Chapter 1

**_Prologue_**

 _The locals said the Forest was magical, that he shouldn't ride too far in there by himself. But he enjoyed his rides through the narrow Forest paths. It cleared his head. He liked to hunt small game and gift them to the villagers to win their favor. They said fairies lived in the Forest. He never saw one, until he came upon a rabbit caught in his trap. The rabbit was beautiful. Far too beautiful to be someone's meal, so he cut it free. Lo and behold she transformed into a fairy._

" _You have saved my life," said the fairy. "I owe you a debt. Tell me, what is your heart's desire?"_

 _The young man did not need long to give his answer. "I wish to be king." He wisely refrained from revealing that it was he who had set the trap._

* * *

 **Chapter 1**

The regent sighed and rubbed his eyes with one hand. He was training his daughter, Princess Isabel, heir to the throne of Jardinia, on how to conduct the court, and so far, it was not going very well.

At the rate she was going, she wouldn't get through half the appeals that had been brought to court that day. When the lords of two neighboring villages brought forth their property dispute, she spent a full hour trying to make them come up with ways to share the orchard in question.

"Just give it to one or the other, or split it in half," he muttered.

But Isabel had lost her temper at the two lords and was shouting at them for not having any common sense. Some of the appellants actually got up and left the court after that.

"Alright, my dear, that's enough for today," Prince Henri had to step in firmly in front of his daughter. "Why don't you retire for the day? I shall settle this dispute."

Isabel was not too pleased with his response. He was very quick to dismiss, especially so when he was not happy with her progress. But it would not be wise to argue in front of the whole court.

So instead she said, "As you say, Father." Then she added rather haughtily. "I do not have the patience to speak with such narrow minded landlords." With that she left in a huff.

Prince Henri really did not wish to keep ruling Jardinia for much longer, but with only a little over a year left before his daughter came of age, he doubted he would be able to get her ready in time. He might never be able to get her ready, and then he would be stuck as regent forever.

Isabel was not too popular with the Jardinian council, especially with Henri's chief adviser, Lord Francis. He thought she was an insolent child, and Henri suspected he disparaged the regent's parenting behind his back.

In her defense, though, Isabel did put on her best behavior during council meetings, but she would get very short-tempered when her naïve ideas were naturally dismissed. Lord Francis would be especially affronted when she would demand explanations, and Henri himself never found her to be easily swayed by reason.

The real trouble between Isabel and the council had been brewing only over the past few weeks since a large topic of discussion was Isabel's marriage. Over the past few months, Jardinia, along with the other kingdoms in the Foretlands had been making alliances with the Inghet kingdom of Fier. In fact, the queen of Lavigne, Jardinia's closest neighbor, was going to marry the younger brother of the king of Fier. The Jardinian council was quite anxious to see their future queen similarly married to the youngest brother of the king of Fier, but Isabel of course was not one to cooperate with this plan.

Prince Andrei had arrived a few weeks prior and his reputation had preceded him to the Foretlands. He had served as ambassador for his brother the king in the Inghetlands. Then he had followed his older brother Ioan to the Foretlands and begun to serve as the Inghet ambassador among all the Foret kingdoms. Prince Henri and the entire Jardinian council were quite taken with him. He was very charming and charismatic, and had vast knowledge of trade and politics. He had been intimately involved in the governance of Fier, and he was certain to make a great ruler.

At first, Isabel had shown considerable interest in meeting him, but not long after meeting him, she turned rude and scornful and rebuffed him at every opportunity. This was not unusual for her, for she had successfully antagonized all the eligible young men in the Foretlands, but her father had hoped that with Prince Andrei, perhaps she would put in more effort.

She was proving to be much more difficult than he had ever anticipated. For the hundredth time, he wished his wife, the late queen, were still alive.

* * *

Once she left the courtroom, Isabel sought out Lord Francis. She had been devising a plan to build more libraries throughout the kingdom, but every time she approached him about it, he dismissed it as not feasible. This time, she had quizzed her maids regarding how well-read they were, and she was shocked by how little knowledge they had about their own kingdom, let alone other parts of the world.

Lord Francis would not believe her and insisted that her maids were simply too scared to speak with her. Isabel had to admit that they were always slightly nervous around her, but that did not change the fact that they were rather poorly-read. She was sure this must extend to the rest of the kingdom.

She had brought him a detailed proposal of her plans, but he took one cursory look at it and said, "With all due respect, your highness, we would not be able to afford what you are proposing."

Isabel frowned. "But I thought you said during the last council meetings that our finances were in good shape."

"Well, yes, there are no deficits, but this does not mean we have money to throw away, Princess."

"We wouldn't be throwing it away," she retorted. "We would be investing in the education of the people."

"Building libraries won't change anything, my dear," the old man shook his head. "You can build libraries, but you can't make your people read. And after all, you know we have to start spending more on defenses. Our alliance with Fier might not be enough to stop the raids from the Inghet bandits."

After trying to plead with him unsuccessfully, she lost her temper and walked away in a bad mood. She knew better than to shout at Lord Francis. He could be most unpleasant when he was angry. And after all, he was her oldest living relative, uncle to her late mother. He had served as her chief adviser when she had ruled, although Isabel suspected they had not got along very well either.

She retired to her favorite place in the entire palace – the library. She had not been given the luxury of having her own study, but the palace library was rather large and spanned several rooms. She had made a private corner for herself in the upper level where no one else ever ventured. She spent most of her time here, or on a window seat with a book on her lap.

This was where her cousin Lady Miel found her when she came to look for the princess. Miel was Isabel's chief lady-in-waiting, and pretty much her only friend. That too, only because they had grown up together. Miel's parents, Lord Francis's daughter and son-in-law, had passed away during an unfortunate trip in which they had caught a nasty fever. Miel had grown up with Isabel ever since and had access to the same education and opportunities that the princess had, but Isabel had always dominated over her cousin.

"Lord Francis can be so aggravating!" Isabel complained as soon as she noticed Miel.

"What's happened now?" Miel asked, taking a seat. She did not quite like to hear Isabel's complaints about her grandfather, but she was not very close with him either.

She listened patiently to Isabel's tirade and then calmly informed her that the seamstress had arrived with the new dresses that they would wear to Queen Adaline's wedding. Isabel put away her book and followed her cousin out of the library.

"Just like Adaline to hold a lavish wedding to celebrate handing over her sovereignty to her husband," Isabel commented scornfully, shaking her head, as they made their way down the stairs.

Miel pursed her lips. She was on quite good terms with Adaline and did not like it when Isabel spoke too dismissively of her, but this was interesting news.

"So there were no objections to Prince Ioan assuming sovereignty of Lavigne?"

Isabel frowned. "From what I gather, the consensus was that this would strengthen our alliances with Fier. Of course, we all expected Adaline to pass sovereignty to her husband," she scoffed. "But I thought the Lavignian council might be a little more cautious of having an Inghet ruler."

Having foreign princes marry into the throne was actually very common in the Foretlands. The Foret kingdoms followed matriarchal succession. Kingdoms passed from mother to daughter. But very rarely did the queens assume full control over their land. They always had political marriages and the marriage contracts specified what kind of position their husbands would hold in the royal council. Isabel's father had been the adviser of trade and commerce, as well as of infrastructure, before he was forced to become regent. In a few instances, as in Adaline's case, the queens chose to hand over complete authority to their husbands and made them king. Usually Foret queens married younger sons of other Foret monarchs, but in some instances like this one, they married princes from other regions of the world. However, it was rare that a completely foreign prince would be handed sovereignty of a Foret kingdom, but all the kingdoms seemed to have placed a lot of trust in their new Inghet allies.

Miel knew that Isabel was determined to maintain sovereignty upon marriage, and recently she had complained to no end that the council was insisting on a political marriage with Fier, similar to Adaline's. Miel was fairly certain that Isabel's primary objection to Prince Andrei was the fact that he would be a little too eager to take up sovereignty in Jardinia if she married him. But other than that, Isabel would have to have a political marriage, and Miel doubted she would ever find love. Her haughtiness had driven away all eligible young men in the Foretlands, and she always rebuffed the affections of anyone she deemed unsuitable for her. She had no dearth of admirers, since she was exceptionally beautiful, but usually her admirers did not last long.

* * *

The dress fitting went about as well as usual. After Isabel nitpicked every dress that was brought, the seamstress got a sense of what would make Isabel satisfied. The next time she would come with a single dress that Isabel would struggle to find faults with and then concede to wear it.

After it was done, and they returned to the princess's chambers, both girls received a surprise. Someone had left a bouquet of red roses on the table. Isabel's jaw dropped in surprise, as she picked up the bouquet to examine it closely.

"From whom are these?" she asked and Miel shrugged.

"Well then ask the servants," she ordered impatiently, turning her attention back to the bouquet. It couldn't be from Prince Andrei, could it? He had been trying for the past few weeks, quite unsuccessfully she might add, to court her. But the bouquet had no note, so it could not have been him.

Miel returned with one of Isabel's maids, Lisette, the girl with the burn on her face. Isabel looked away. She always felt uncomfortable looking at the girl's scar.

She curtsied and said, "I found the bouquet left in your sitting room, so I brought it inside. I didn't see anyone bring it, your highness, but the gardener was in earlier to tend to the plants inside."

"Thank you Lisette," said Miel, dismissing the girl and turned to look at Isabel. She would not be happy about this.

"Miel, please accompany me to the garden," Isabel bid her calmly. "We need to pay Christien a visit."

Miel prayed Christien would stick to his place. She recalled that he had been rather bold recently in addressing the princess ever since his promotion to head gardener. He was actually probably Isabel's only admirer who had lasted this long.

As they approached, Christien looked up from the bushes, walked over wearing a large warm smile, and bowed deeply.

"Good afternoon, Princess, Lady Miel."

"Good afternoon, Christien, I trust my mother's garden is well?" Isabel's tone was casual and conversational.

Christien smiled. "Yes, Princess, all the rose bushes have come in full bloom by now," he said proudly.

Isabel drew herself up. "Christien, I have been meaning to ask you – why does the garden have such a high proportion of red roses this year? You know my mother was partial to white roses."

Christien was surprised by the question. "But you are partial to red roses," he said confidently, "I thought-"

"It doesn't matter what you thought," she snapped. "The garden is now in my mother's memory, and it should look just the way she had always kept it."

Christien's face was impassive. "As you wish, Princess, we shall start over."

"And one more thing," Isabel continued. "I found a bouquet of roses in my sitting room today. Do you know anything about it?"

"The roses are all in full bloom, so I thought you might like them," he replied quietly.

"You presume too much," Isabel told him coldly. "Be careful that you don't overstep your boundaries." With that, she walked away, her skirts rustling in the grass, and Miel following in her wake, thinking that it could have gone worse.

Miel could not comprehend why the gardener persisted in trying to get in her highness's good graces when she had rebuffed him most scornfully several times, and she suspected this wouldn't be the last.


	2. Chapter 2

**_Geography_**

 _The Forest sprawled over the large expanse of land. Many people lived on the edges of the Forest, but not many wandered into its depths. To the south lay the five kingdoms that formed the Foretlands. To the north, beyond the mountain range, were the ten kingdoms that formed the Inghetlands. On the west were the many tribal kingdoms of the Lochlands; and to the east lay the Ocean._

 _The Foretlands consisted of a peaceful group of kingdoms with lush green countryside, rich orchards, bountiful harvests, and beautiful gardens. Their people were likewise peaceful, laid-back and unassuming. The Inghetlands were a place of harsher and colder climates, with harsher and tenser relations among its kingdoms. Their leaders were usually shrewd and ambitious, but also fair and just. The largest of the Inghet kingdoms, Fier, was particularly interested in forging good relations with their Foret neighbors and had enjoyed many years of successful trade relations, and now were slowly strengthening their alliances through political marriages._

* * *

 **Chapter 2**

There was much celebration in the kingdom of Lavigne in honor of the wedding of their newly-crowned queen. Her father had ruled Lavigne in her mother's stead, and when he passed away rather untimely, Adaline was forced to ascend the throne though she was ill-prepared for it. Lavigne would have descended into chaos, had not a prince of Fier been passing by.

The Foretlands had long had trade relationships with the kingdom of Fier. But ever since Inghet bandits had been travelling through the Forest to raid the towns on the border, they had all turned to Fier for protection. Thus they began negotiations to strengthen their alliance.

Prince Ioan had been travelling through the Foretlands as a show of good faith during the negotiations of the alliance. Upon witnessing the queen's struggles in Lavigne, he offered her valuable counsel, and quickly became indispensable to her. Within a short time, she proposed to strengthen their alliance through a marriage. At first the Lavignian council had been wary of a foreigner taking the reins of their kingdom, but the Foretmen were not known for ambition or desire for power, and they were quick to accept an outsider as their ruler when he proved to be effective.

The wedding celebrations were planned for an entire fortnight. This was to be expected. The Lavignian court was well known for its frequent balls and celebrations and the wine and the musicians.

Isabel and Miel had attended many of these celebrations since they were children, given the proximity of Lavigne and Jardinia. The children of various nobles all over the Foretlands were often in attendance as well.

Isabel was not wildly popular among her peers, being well known for her sharp tongue and judgmental attitude. She in turn held them in contempt for their lack of ambition and for their shallow pursuits of balls and finery. Miel was much better liked, though she was rather shy and did not make many friends. Besides, she was afraid to spend too much time with anyone Isabel disapproved of, which was most of their peers. However, as an accomplished musician, the only talent in which she surpassed Isabel, she would always be asked to perform at every celebration, and she loved every visit to Lavigne.

She was rather disappointed when Isabel declined to be present for the majority of the celebrations. The princess claimed that she needed to attend to her duties of learning to take over the kingdom, in order to prove to her father how serious she was. Miel knew that her motivation included avoiding Prince Andrei. Isabel would not have directly objected if Miel had asked to go on ahead to the celebrations without her, but she would have been very vocal about her displeasure.

So they attended only the last three days of the celebrations, joining it on the day the actual vows were exchanged. All the Foret royal families were present, and given the nature of the union, many heads of Inghet kingdoms were also present. They were all kings. In contrast to the Foret rules, Inghet kingdoms could only be passed along a male line of succession.

Isabel spent most of the wedding away from the dance floor. She attempted to make conversation with the queens of her neighboring Foret kingdoms as she normally would, but this time they only wanted to ask her about whether she would accept an offer of marriage from Andrei. Thus she was forced back to the dance floor, where Prince Andrei kept insisting on asking her for several dances. This was unusual for her since the young noblemen usually only asked her for one dance at the most out of politeness, but she only ever accepted a handful of them. A small part of her felt flattered to be receiving so much attention from Prince Andrei. Most young men were wary of her scornful remarks and maintained their distance respectfully. But she also saw right through Prince Andrei's act.

At first, she had been eager to meet him, for she had had heard he was knowledgeable, intelligent and a natural leader, unlike the frivolous young nobles with whom she grew up. She was not surprised when she caught his eye. She was far more intelligent and beautiful than any woman in any of the Foret courts. But it did not take her long to realize that his interest was only in her crown. He was full of insincere flattery and he took her for a fool.

But no one else seemed to notice or care. When Andrei visited Jardinia, half the court fell in love with his wit and charm immediately, and the other half gradually followed. She found that she resented him. In fact, she had started to feel intimidated by how knowledgeable he was of Foret politics and commerce. She tried to make it clear through her cold behavior that she wanted nothing to do with him, but his persistence only made her hate him more. She knew why he was not so easily discouraged. She was the only unmarried female heir to a Foret throne for the foreseeable future.

What made it worse was that her father was fully in support of the match, and would constantly drop hints that she should consider it herself. And just as she had feared, he was hoping that there might be an announcement out of Adaline's wedding. He was anxious to introduce her to King George, Andrei and Ioan's brother, ruler of the kingdom of Fier. He seemed quite pleasant, though quiet and serious like Ioan, very different from Andrei. She thought his wife was rather dull mostly because she looked bored and barely spoke two words.

While Isabel kept counting the minutes till she could leave, Prince Andrei found himself at the center of attention. A group of admiring noblewomen surrounded him at the refreshment table as he helped himself to his favorite Lavignian wine. Isabel had hardly seen him without a cup in his hand during the entire time she was at the celebration. Personally, she thought all wine tasted atrocious. She stood a little apart, scoffing at the foolish girls who were swooning over his glib compliments. He wasn't exactly handsome per se, but there was something magnetic about his personality that she could not quite put her finger on.

It didn't take long for Andrei to notice her standing nearby.

"Princess Isabel!" he exclaimed, grinning. "I have been looking for you all evening. You have danced with me only once tonight!"

Isabel scowled at him as he walked up to her. "Yes, my Prince. And that was once too many."

"Now, why such hostility?" He was speaking quite loudly and Isabel could hear the girls laughing behind him. He seemed slightly tipsy from all that wine he must have been indulging in.

"Because I want you to leave me alone," she announced, raising her voice so much, that everyone around them turned to look. "I do not wish to dance with you, I do not wish to sit next you at the dinner table, and I certainly do not wish to marry a drunkard like you."

The music had stopped and everyone was staring at them. Isabel felt herself flush. She had not meant to make a scene. Andrei was looking at her with his eyes narrowed and a hard expression on his face. He was visibly angry, but he did not say anything.

Isabel fled to the garden. Across the room, Prince Henri sat down on a chair and buried his face in his hands.

* * *

Needless to say, Isabel left the celebrations early, and dragged Miel back with her. The following day, she had a huge row with her father.

"You had to make such a fool of yourself?" He shouted at her.

"Well I hope I made a bigger fool of him," she said defiantly.

"What were you thinking?"

"Well, I had to tell him outright, didn't I?" She shouted back. "He was not taking any of my rather overt hints!"

Prince Henri drew a huge breath. "Isabel, why would you refuse him? It is the right time for you to marry and there can be no better suitor."

"Why? Because I am not good enough for you?" She asked angrily. "You think I am weakling like Adaline, who needs a husband to do her job for her?"

"Isabel, I will not be spoken to in this manner," her father warned her.

"And I do not wish to be spoken to at all," she threw back at him and stalked off.

She paced the length of the palace trying to calm herself down. Her head was throbbing and she had an urge to rush into the kitchen and start breaking all the china. Instead she went out to the gardens. It was a hot summer evening, but the sky was gloomy and threatened rain. The gardeners had probably left by now.

She paced among the rose bushes, hoping the scent would be soothing. Her dress got caught in the thorns and the skirt ripped completely when she tried to yank it. Her mood was at its foulest when she turned around and noticed an old woman picking her roses.

"Hey," she yelled. "Who are you? This garden is not open to the public; you are trespassing!"

To her surprise, the old woman laughed.

"I am not trespassing," she declared, her eyes flashing, "I am here to punish you."

Isabel opened her mouth to demand an explanation, but the woman continued, "You are rude, inconsiderate, arrogant, contemptuous, and very unkind." She counted off on her fingers. "You need to be taught a lesson."

There was something different about the woman. She seemed almost magical.

Isabel was suddenly frightened and took a step back. "Who are you?" she asked. "What have I ever done to you?"

But the woman ignored her question. "I think you are not fit to be a ruler. The people would suffer far too much from you. You need to step aside so someone far better can take your place, someone whose heart's desire is to do good to your kingdom."

"No!" Isabel screamed.

"And you need to be as ugly on the outside and you are on the inside," finished the old woman, grinning widely. Then there was a flash of light and Isabel thought the woman looked like she had turned into a fairy.

All of a sudden she felt her skin crawl, her bones ache and her head pound. She screamed and writhed in agony. And then she realized her skin was getting covered in fur. Her nails were growing into claws. She touched her face and felt the fur. She screamed in horror and tore at her hair and pounded on the floor.

Then she heard someone come running.

"Princess, are you alright?" It was Christien. "Are you hurt?"

"Stay away!" She screamed before he could get too close. "Don't come near me!"

"I only wish to help," he protested.

"Fetch Miel." He hesitated. "Now!" she screamed.

She curled up into a ball on the ground and realized it had started to rain heavily. She cried hard, her wails muffled by the downpour, until Miel came to take her inside.


	3. Chapter 3

**_Legend_**

 _Queen Celeste used to tell her daughter a story, which had gradually spread to the rest of the kingdom, and even to the rest of the Foretlands. It was about a fairy who lived in the Forest. Very few Foretmen had ever interacted with fairies, but they were wary of the Forest all the same._

" _When you were still in my belly," the queen would tell her daughter, "I was visiting some new settlements being built at the edge of the Forest. Your father was overseeing the building, since he is my adviser of infrastructure, and I rather liked to accompany him during this visits to the building sites. One day, I wandered into the Forest by myself, and suddenly a fairy appeared before me. She accused me of destroying her home!_

"' _But we didn't know your home was here,' I told her. 'Fairies don't live on the edge of the Forest.'_

"' _It wasn't the edge before you started cutting the trees down,' she accused me. I apologized and asked if I could make it up to her, but she only told me to leave her alone. After that, I put an end to the cutting away of Forest land. Your father didn't like it, but in this matter, I was determined."_

 _The queen did not tell her daughter, however, that the fairy had also declared that she was not fit to rule, and so would be her unborn daughter; and perhaps someday, someone better would take their place. There was no need to trouble young Isabel by recounting those malicious words. Surely, they would not come to pass._

* * *

 **Chapter 3**

Isabel did not leave her bed for days. She refused to eat, she refused to bathe, and she did not want any of her attendants around. She lay in bed and cried, sometimes crying herself into a restless sleep. Her father tried to see her many times, but she refused to let anyone in. Miel tried her best to explain to the regent what had transpired, but Isabel had not fully explained it even to her. They questioned Christien, but all he could say was that he heard shouting and when he arrived at the scene, the princess was curled up on the ground screaming in agony.

On the fourth day, Isabel finally conceded to let her father visit, but even though Miel had tried to explain her physical transformation to him, it was a severe shock to Prince Henri to see his daughter covered in fur. For her sake, he tried to remain calm. He sat down by her bed, and moved to take her hand in his, but she drew it back, and he felt another wave of shock as he noticed the claws.

"My dearest daughter, how did this happen?" he asked, perplexed.

Isabel burst into tears again, but through her sobs she told them about the old woman she had found in her mother's garden who had transformed into a fairy and turned her into some kind of a furry creature.

"She did this because you wanted to throw her out for trespassing?" Prince Henri asked in disbelief.

"I don't know," his daughter wept. "She also accused me of being rude and unkind and uncompassionate and many other vices."

Henri gingerly put a hand on her shoulder and tried to comfort her. "She must have placed some kind of curse on you," he said. "I will send my men out to the Forest to search for her. Maybe we can convince her to change you back."

Isabel felt a small grain of hope taking shape in her mind.

* * *

Prince Henri sent many of his men to search for the fairy, but a fairy can never be found unless she wants to be found, and the men searched for days without any success. Meantime, Isabel's condition grew worse. Her absence was noticed at court and Henri announced that she was very ill and confined to bed. She refused to let any of her attendants into her chambers, so they had to be reassigned to other positions in the palace. There were many whispers among the staff regarding the mysterious illness, but no one knew the real details. And Isabel was discovering that this curse had not only altered her appearance, but it was making it very difficult to control her temper.

If she ever gave in to the frustration she felt, she found herself raging uncontrollably and tearing up her pillows and bed hangings. Once she almost attacked the maid who brought her food and insisted she eat something. Isabel was angry that Miel had allowed the maid to enter, but then she was distraught by her uncontrollable reaction. Miel tried to explain that she could not possibly take care of Isabel all on her own, and since the maid had already seen her, Isabel agreed to let her attend to them. She was the girl with the burned scar, and Isabel found that given her own appearance had become so revolting, she no longer felt uncomfortable by the girl's burn marks.

Christien also attempted to call upon her, and inquired after her health many times. Isabel was not sure if he had caught a glimpse of her that day amidst the downpour, but she flat-out refused to see him. She could feel herself beginning to feel angry, but she resolved to try very hard to keep her temper in check, because she would not let herself turn into a ferocious beast. But she refused to leave her room.

* * *

It had been a week since her father had sent his men to search for the fairy, but they had returned with no news. Isabel was now starting to feel certain there would be no recovery for her. She would remain in bed until death claimed her.

Isabel lay wrapped in her cover, her face obscured under them, and watched as the maid carried in the tray of food, placed it by her bedside, and began to prepare her tea. She had started to notice that the girl had a cheerful demeanor about her, and Isabel wondered how she maintained it despite her ruined appearance. She had never been particularly vain, not about her appearance at least, though she had been very aware of her beauty and occasionally indulged in finery that accentuated it. Perhaps she may have been able to bear it if her face had only been burnt, but she couldn't bear the fact that she didn't even look fully human anymore.

However, now she found herself wondering how she got the burns on her face. She vaguely recalled reading a legend of a beautiful queen who burned the faces of other beautiful maidens, so that she might be the fairest in the land, but she could not recall the specifics, and she found herself itching to look it up. The book was in the library, she knew. Maybe she should send someone to get it.

"Wait, Lisette," she croaked at the maid's retreating back. Her voice was hoarse from not having spoken at all in the past two days.

Lisette spun around, a look of amazement on her face. Her lack of respectful response irked Isabel a little, but she was too tired to dwell on it.

"Please send Lady Miel to me," she ordered.

"Yes, your highness," replied the girl and scurried off.

"Was my behavior rude and unkind?" She wondered to herself, reflecting on the accusations the fairy had heaped on her. "No," she decided. "She is my servant, and I can order her as much as I like. Although, perhaps I should apologize for attacking her the other day."

By the time Miel arrived, Isabel had lost interest in the legend.

"Never mind," she mumbled to Miel, "I've changed my mind. I don't need anything."

Miel sighed. "Would you like me to stay?" she asked.

"Do what you will," Isabel responded, but still felt ticked off when Miel left after all. She noticed that Lisette was standing outside the door.

* * *

Her father visited her later that day. Isabel was glad to see him, though she didn't feel sufficient energy to express it. She inquired after the search for the fairy, but there had still been no luck. Her father was starting to lose hope too, and she felt even more despondent.

He did not improve her mood when he insisted on discussing the future. "You can't stay in here forever. You're going to come of age in a year, and you were looking forward to ascending the throne."

"I can't rule a kingdom looking like this," she declared indignantly. "I have lost the desire to rule," she mumbled. "You can be regent for as long as you like."

"But dear child," he retorted, "I don't want to be regent much longer. Who knows how many years I have left in me?"

Isabel did not want to think about it right now.

"Isabel," he entreated. "Do you perchance recall what the fairy said when she cursed you? Did you curse your lineage as well?"

Isabel frowned. "I do not recall her mentioning my lineage."

"Then you do not need to fear that you may pass on your affliction to your children-"

He did not get to finish his thought because Isabel flew into a violent rage at his utter disregard for her misery. He was back again to urge her to get married! However, she struggled to contain her rage, but combined with her furry appearance, she looked ferocious enough that Prince Henri was deeply disturbed and he did not stay much longer.

* * *

Her episode with her father put her in an even more melancholy mood. Miel had been coming to her less and less these days and the only person she saw was Lisette. Lisette had been attempting to make conversation and Isabel thought about pointing out that it was out of line for her to speak out of turn, but she found that she didn't actually mind.

This time Lisette informed her that her gardener had visited Lady Miel and inquiring after the princess again. Isabel groaned.

"What has she told him?" she wondered.

"Only that you are ill," the girl replied. "He is most concerned. He keeps asking whether you were injured that night, and she assured him you were not."

Isabel thought about this for a second. "I suppose he never actually got to see me that night, did he?"

"No your highness, he did say that much when he had been questioned."

Isabel thought again about the accusations against her. That she was ungrateful and inconsiderate.

"Lisette, do you think you could send him a message?" When the maid nodded, she said, "Just assure him that I will be fine, though confined indoors. And please convey my gratitude for his help that night."

After Lisette left, Isabel wondered if Miel had been avoiding her. "I suppose I did take out my frustration on her," she contemplated. She should apologize, she decided.

* * *

Lisette observed as Lady Miel patiently updated the gardener on Isabel's conditions and promised again to convey his well wishes on her recovery. She felt rather sorry for the poor gardener who nursed a deep admiration for the princess. The more she scorned him though, the more determined he seemed to grow.

Lisette knew the princess was much too haughty to ever accept the affections of a simple gardener. But the princess's condition had been altering her greatly. If only she would realize the sincerity of Christien's feelings that Lisette was sure she recognized. After all, maybe love could break her curse.

"Oh please, do not lose hope," she approached him as he stood staring at Lady Miel's retreating back, crestfallen. He turned to look at her, and started as his eyes fell on her scar.

"Forgive me," he muttered. "You are the princess's new handmaiden?"

Lisette's expression had soured for a moment, but now she smiled again. "I am not new. I have been her maid for several weeks now, although, after her princess took ill she dismissed all the others and made me her handmaiden." There seemed to be a slight edge of pride to her tone. "My name is Lisette," she added.

"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance," smiled Christien. "I am Christien, the head gardener."

"Oh I know who you are!" Lisette laughed and Christien got the distinct feeling she was teasing him, which puzzled him greatly.

"I assure you the princess is very grateful for your kindness," she went on. "And when she is recovered, I am sure she will tell you so herself."

Christien was surprised at the girl's confidence of her claims. The princess was much too proud to ever thank him for anything, but then again, she was quite the mystery. Nonetheless, Lisette's confidence made him feel optimistic.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Revelation_**

" _You could not have thought I meant it!" He was shocked._

" _You did say she was a beast for having rejected you," she responded._

" _But what good does it do me if you've turned her into an actual beast?"_

" _I have repaid my debt," she said. "You now have the opportunity to win your heart's desire."_

 _He blinked, uncomprehending. The fairy sighed._

" _She is in no position to refuse you now," she explained. "With the opportunity I gave you, you can secure the marriage, secure the throne, secure an heir, and thus secure your succession," she announced with flourish. "Her children will not be affected by the curse," she added._

 _He supposed this could work after all._

" _But what if my involvement is found out?"_

" _I give you my word that I shall never speak of this to another soul," she said. "But remember, don't let her ever come near the Forest until you have secured everything. And then you shall have your heart's desire."_

* * *

 **Chapter 4**

Prince Henri sat at his desk, pulling at his hair, at a loss regarding what was to become of his daughter and her kingdom. She had informed him that she no longer wished to see people and she no longer wished to rule. He was going to be stuck as regent for the foreseeable future, and perhaps he would have to pass the kingdom onto Lady Miel, who was next in line. His niece had no wish to rule, he knew, but perhaps she could be persuaded into a prudent political marriage.

In the midst of all this, Prince Andrei paid him a visit. He had come to finalize the most recent trade agreements with Fier. With everything that had been happening, Henri had been neglecting his foreign relations. His council was as slow as ever, and had not shown much enthusiasm to help when he needed it most.

Henri considered telling Andrei it was not a good time for discussing trade agreements, but then he decided that he needed to focus on other matters instead of worry interminably about Isabel. So he summoned the council to meet with Andrei and discuss their plans. They gathered reluctantly, and as usual, dragged their feet enough such that the agreement was still not finalized. Andrei offered to stay and help while the negotiations continued, and Henri supposed he would enjoy the company.

Andrei inquired after Isabel, for he had heard about her illness. The regent only sighed, and invited the prince to join him for a ride in the countryside. He found it helped cleared his mind. That night he asked Miel to join them at dinner, instead of taking her meals by herself as she had started to do since Isabel's illness. She informed them that the princess' condition had not changed, although her mood had improved slightly. She accompanied them to Prince Henri's sitting room, where she graciously performed for them. Sometimes he wished Isabel were as meek as Miel, but his daughter had taken after her late mother. Celeste had never allowed him complete control over Jardinia, and honestly he had not minded sharing the ruling duties with his wife, though Lord Francis always advised him to have better control of her.

Andrei stayed one additional day until the agreement was finalized, and both he and Miel found that they would miss his company when it was time for him to leave. He had made himself rather useful during this time, helping Henri out where his council was too lazy to do anything, and the council themselves were open to having him be involved with the affairs of their kingdom.

The two men went on another ride together, discussing possible future agreements. Henri felt that he could trust this young man, that he could trust his judgment and rely on his advice. He found himself telling Andrei all his troubles, trusting him with the truth about Isabel's condition, of which he had not even told the council. The young man was most distressed to hear of the situation and immediately offered his services to help find the fairy. Isabel was such a fool to have refused him.

"It is no use," he sighed. "My men have scoured the Forest but there was no sign of her. I am calling off the search." Andrei nodded, but he doubted how well the men had searched. Foret guards had both little motivation and training compared to the guards in his homeland, where they had to be skilled and alert, given the less peaceful climate. It was likely that the Foret guards were more focused on avoiding the bandits than on finding the fairy.

"But what will happen to Jardinia if she refuses to rule?" he asked. The concern in his voice was quite a comfort to Henri. He shook his head.

"I suppose I will have to continue as regent for a few more years," he said. "Within this time, if I am lucky, I can secure a marriage for my daughter." He laughed mirthlessly. "It was difficult enough when she was beautiful." Andrei debated whether to join in the laughter, but Henri continued. "You are rather lucky my daughter refused you; else may have found yourself stuck with a reclusive beast."

"But perhaps I may have been able to do more to help you with your duties," replied Andrei thoughtfully.

Henri sighed. "My dear prince," he said. "I sincerely believed that you would have been the perfect candidate to govern Jardinia. It would have given me a great deal of peace to leave the kingdom in your hands."

"I am truly humbled to hear you say that, your majesty," replied Andrei warmly. "It would have been a great honor to have been ruler of Jardinia."

Henri hesitated to say what he had been thinking about lately. "What if… Isabel could be persuaded to change her mind…?"

Andrei looked taken by surprise at the question.

"I'm sorry," the regent apologized. "It is too much to ask of you to marry someone with her affliction."

"Your majesty," responded Andrei, interrupted him. "I mean it when I say it would be a great honor to rule Jardinia, no matter what may be my wife's appearance."

* * *

Isabel had heard about Andrei's visit, but she could not be much bothered to care. She wasn't particularly paying attention to her father as he described all they had accomplished during his short trip.

"I explained our situation to him," she heard him say. This time she snapped her head up to look at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I told him of your affliction." She sat up straight in anger. The urge to tear up her pillows was returning, but she bit it down.

"Why?" she demanded.

"I felt I could trust him. I know you do not appreciate it, Isabel, but you should trust my judgment on these matters. At any rate, he is still willing to marry you despite your appearance."

Isabel now found herself laughing bitterly.

"You are still thinking of my marriage?"

"We have to think of the future don't we? What is your plan for the future? I don't see any indication that you plan to leave this chamber." He was sounding impatient now. Isabel scowled.

"I made it clear that I don't wish to marry him."

"Well, do you wish to marry anybody at all?" His voice was rising now. "Prince Andrei is still the best choice for the kingdom."

Isabel felt very tired again. She lay back down. "Father, I feel exhausted. Please leave me now," she said.

"Please reconsider," he said, as he got up to leave.

* * *

Her father visited her the next day, and the next, each day with the same entreaty. The first day she told him she was not yet ready to speak with him; the second day she feigned sleep. But she started to ponder Prince Andrei's interest in her. She had been fairly certain that he was only after her crown, and now her suspicions were confirmed. She was also fairly certain that there were a large number of eligible matches for him back in the Inghetlands, but both he and his brother had traveled to the Foretlands possibly with the express purpose of becoming a monarch.

She found herself wanting to consult the record of Inghet royalty that their library had received recently, so the next time Lisette came with her meal, she asked if the girl could fetch it from the library.

Lisette looked a little nervous about the order. "I-" she stammered. "I don't know how to find anything in the library."

"Oh these documents would be in the political history section-" Isabel began to explain, but noting the alarm on Lisette's face, said, "Never mind. Just ask Lady Miel to fetch the recent records of the Inghet royal families. She will know what I mean."

Lisette looked somewhat relieved, curtsied and went on her way. Isabel wondered why it intimidated her so much. She supposed the girl had never been to a library before. Then she wondered if she could even read. Lisette had not been among the group of maids she had quizzed before.

Upon leafing through the records, her theory was confirmed, but it did little to help her decide her next course of action. That night she summoned Miel and decided to have this conversation with her.

"Miel," she said. "You are next in line to the throne."

"But why is that relevant?" Miel asked, alarmed.

"What if I pass the throne on to you?" Isabel asked. "I can't rule looking like this."

"But if you marry Prince Andrei, you wouldn't have to rule," Miel cried. "You can let him rule in your stead."

Isabel was very annoyed and she gave Miel one of her usual withering looks.

"Yes, he would like that very much, wouldn't he? It is the crown he wants after all, so I'm sure it would be no matter to him if he married you instead."

Miel blushed furiously. "You can't seriously want me to marry him?"

Isabel thought about it for a second. "No, I don't suppose I do." She actually hated the idea of Andrei and Miel being king and queen of her kingdom. "But I certainly don't wish to marry him," she grimaced. "Or have his children," she shuddered. "Imagine what my children might look like!"

"But the witch cursed only you and not your lineage," said Miel. Isabel looked surprised. She blushed again. "I heard Prince Henri and Prince Andrei talking about it. It is unlikely that your children will bear the curse."

Isabel buried her face in her pillow in frustration. "They will never give up!" Then, looking back at her cousin, she asked, "What do you think I should do?"

Miel seemed reluctant to share her views, so Isabel let it go. But she pondered all night.

The next day when her father visited, she gave him her answer. She would agree to marry Prince Andrei and pass sovereignty to him as long as she was never required to be in his company, and certainly not be required to bear his children.

"But you must have heirs!" her father exclaimed.

"I have decided that Miel's children will inherit the kingdom," she responded.

Prince Henri protested, but Isabel stated that these were the only terms under which she would consent to the marriage. In the end, the regent decided to accept the terms. To be honest, he would feel much more comfortable handing over the reins of the kingdom to someone like Andrei who had proven himself in governance, rather than to his temperamental daughter. However, having married into the Jardinian royal family, he did have a duty to ensure the continuation of their line. He was fairly certain, however, that Isabel could be persuaded to change her mind on this subject.


	5. Chapter 5

**_Sovereignty_**

 _Even though Foret kingdoms followed a matriarchal line of succession, this actually had less to do with the empowerment of women and more to do with the fact that the women weren't trusted to faithfully maintain their husband's lines. When the Foret empire was divided into the five Foret kingdoms many generations ago, the matriarchal lines had been established. This was in stark contrast to the rest of the neighboring regions, where patriarchal succession were still very much the norm, and indeed, in the Inghetlands, women were not even allowed to have sovereignty._

 _In the Inghetlands, sovereignty passed from father to the first-born son. Younger sons of kings took up various positions within Inghet courts and often secured marriages with other royal families, but once in a while, they would challenge their older brothers for the throne, which would lead to the tensions in their part of the world, and which was why The Inghet empire had divided into several smaller kingdoms. Fier remained the largest kingdom, having maintained exceptional unity within its royal family. Indeed, the younger brothers of Fier's king were both very ambitious, but they would much rather carry forth their ambitions to seek their fortunes in the Foretlands rather than create tension at home._

* * *

 **Chapter 5**

When the wedding was announced, at first there was much excitement in Jardinia. But Prince Henri was rather nervous. No doubt they would expect celebrations on par with Lavigne's. But that was out of the question.

The council members began questioning him about Isabel's illness and whether she had recovered, and Henri struggled to come up with answers. He got the sense that some of them concluded that her illness was life-threatening, so she was rushing into a marriage she did not want, so she could secure her line. He did not seek to contradict this. The council did not complain, however. By this time, they had become well acquainted with Andrei and were quite taken with him.

Henri was relieved that none of them asked to see the marriage contract. Isabel had read it carefully to make sure that her terms were met and that the contract required that Andrei never approach her without explicit permission.

Henri could tell Andrei was a little insulted by this, because he grasped the implication, but he accepted it without complaint. He had, of course, been rather crestfallen when Henri first told him of Isabel's terms, but the regent had assured him that he was confident she would eventually change her mind. The young prince was particularly surprised to hear that she wanted to pass the crown to Miel's children.

Isabel, meanwhile, was sinking back into her gloominess. There were times when she decided she was making a terrible mistake and sent for her father to call off the wedding. He was struggling to not show his exasperation with her, she could tell; and each time, he talked her out of it.

During this time Lisette tried her best to cheer her up. She was growing bolder and more comfortable in the princess's presence, and had often started to speak her mind when it wasn't her place. Isabel found she really didn't care and actually quite enjoyed the girl's bright presence. Miel was most surprised at the burgeoning friendship between the princess and her maid, but she was relieved that she wasn't the only soul left who was friendly with the princess.

Isabel's conversations had as always led to reading, and after some questioning, Lisette revealed that she could read, but only barely. Isabel questioned her on what she had learned in school, and discovered conditions were much worse than she had initially suspected. She had fought so hard with Lord Francis to spend more on education in the kingdom, and she almost felt more determined to fight harder, but of course it was too late now. She was cursed for life.

"You must not give up hope!" The maid exclaimed when Isabel expressed her despair after she had been coaxed out of bed to have her hair brushed.

"The search for the fairy has been called off," she said glumly.

"But there are other ways to break the curse."

"I have been trying so hard to be kinder and more caring," Isabel complained. "I hoped maybe if I proved the fairy wrong, it would reverse the curse. Either I am wrong to hope that could work, or maybe I can never be kind or caring."

"That's not true," Lisette insisted. "You have been so much kinder to me these few weeks. I was so shocked that you had learned my name."

Isabel frowned. "But I have always known your name. I make it a point to know the names of my servants."

"Oh," said Lisette. "We never knew. You had never addressed any of us by name before."

Isabel considered this. The girl was right, she never did make any of her servants feel valued.

"But perhaps true love will break the curse," Lisette continued down the earlier train of thought. "Like in the stories." With this, she actually succeeded in making Isabel laugh, though that had certainly not been her intention.

* * *

The day before the wedding Miel picked up a bouquet of roses that had been sent for Isabel. This time it had a note. Christien had sent it as congratulations on her wedding, but he had had the sense to sign it from all the gardeners. Most thankfully, Isabel did not see this as an overstepping of the bounds and accepted the flowers contentedly.

"I think your gardener is feeling as gloomy as you are, your highness," Lisette giggled, while she was getting Isabel's gown ready for the next day. Miel's eyebrows shot up at her boldness, but Isabel only looked incredulous.

"And why would that be?" she asked.

"He admires you so much, it must pain him to watch you get married tomorrow," the maid responded.

"Well, I'm sure he must have expected he would have had to watch me get married someday," Isabel remarked pointedly.

"And I'm sure that never stopped him from dreaming."

Isabel scoffed. Miel privately agreed with the maid.

* * *

And thus without much pomp and circumstance, Princess Isabel of Jardinia married Prince Andrei of Fier. Prince Henri joked to the noblemen of Jardinia that after the lavish celebrations at Lavigne, he was sure no one was in the mood for celebrations. He ordered feasts to be held in all the towns and villages of Jardinia to appease the common folk, but they would no doubt he upset when the newly married royal couple would fail to tour the kingdom as was tradition.

The wedding ceremony itself was a rather somber affair, and the few guests who were present were rather flummoxed by the entire event. The princess was uncharacteristically heavily veiled, and she spoke to no one. Lady Miel attempted to lighten the mood with her lovely singing, but even her joyous tunes seemed melancholy that day.

The princess did not even join the guests for the feast at the palace. She went straight to her chambers, leaving Lady Miel to entertain the guests. Fortunately Prince Andrei was rather skilled at being the center of attention and was quite successful at distracting the guests from the strange proceedings. But nonetheless all the guests were speculating the cause of Isabel's strange behavior, and no doubt rumors of her supposed life-threatening illness would spread soon.

* * *

"If only you weren't so dead-set against your husband," Lisette teased as she helped Isabel out of her wedding gown. "You are missing out on all the fun of your wedding night!"

"Lisette!" Isabel was rather affronted. "You do remember that I had forbid vulgar jokes like that?"

"I'm sorry, you're highness," she said quickly, thought she sounded like she wanted to giggle.

Isabel sighed, but then she giggled herself. "I think I'm rather relieved I wouldn't have to go through a wedding night."

"You wouldn't say that if you were in love," Lisette said slyly. Isabel shrugged.

"Perhaps," she said. "But I've never met a man I could love. I never really understood why other girls wouldn't stop talking about men," she added scornfully. "And Adaline used to talk about a different man every time I saw her. I wouldn't be surprised if she-" Isabel decided not to continue that train of thought, for she might actually say something unkind. Fortunately Lisette took no notice.

"Have you really never fancied anyone?"

"Once, when I was very young," she reminisced as she climbed into her nightclothes. "He was a lord who married the heir to Ligne's throne. But I was too young to catch his notice. Come to think of it, I was rather devastated during his wedding because I'd hoped he would wait a few years for me." Isabel laughed. "But it only lasted for about a day. When we were at the wedding, Adaline took much pleasure in detailing what would happen afterwards. I don't think I've fancied anyone after that!"

Lisette laughed.

"What about you?" Now Isabel asked Lisette as she climbed into bed. "Tell me your story."

When she settled down on the pillows and looked at Lisette, she saw the girl's smile had faltered and she was touching her scar.

"I used to be married," she said quietly. Isabel was rather surprised.

"You must have been married very young!" Lisette was even younger than she was.

"Yes, and not for very long."

"What happened?"

"There was a fire," she said. "I managed to get away, but my face was hit with a piece of burning wood. My arm was burned too." She pulled up her sleeve to show the burn on her arm.

Isabel felt her chest tighten with sympathy as she imagined how it must feel if this happened to her. She had only been focusing on her own misery and it had never occurred to her that Lisette's scar must have come with a lot of misery of its own. She had never thought to ask.

"And your husband?"

"He was not home." He sighed. "He was unharmed." She was quiet for some time and then she added. "He blamed me for the fire. You see, it started while I was cooking, but I was never sure what caused it. He left me soon after. He didn't want a wife with this scar."

"Lisette, I am so sorry," Isabel said quietly, and to her surprise, she felt her eyes sting with tears.

Lisette saw her expression and quickly snapped back to her cheerful self. "Oh don't feel bad for me, your highness. I was very fortunate to have found work at the palace, where no one cares much about my appearance," she smiled.

That wasn't quite true. Isabel had always felt uncomfortable looking at her scar. She felt so guilty about that now. And now, she made others uncomfortable. Miel and her father both felt uncomfortable being around her. Lisette was the only one completely unfazed by the fur.

Lisette guessed some of her thoughts.

"Your highness, I have no hope that I will get back my old face, but please do not give up hope that you will get back yours."

Isabel smiled.


	6. Chapter 6

**_The Wording of the Curse_**

 _You are rude, inconsiderate, arrogant, contemptuous, and very unkind. You need to be taught a lesson. You are not fit to be a ruler. The people would suffer far too much from you. You need to step aside so someone far better can take your place, someone whose heart's desire is to do good to your kingdom. And you need to be as ugly on the outside and you are on the inside._

* * *

 **Chapter 6**

"She called me rude, unkind, uncaring…and what else was there? Vain? I'm not that vain, am I?" Isabel was trying to remember all the accusations the fairy had heaped on her, but she wasn't exactly taking notes when she had been cursed. She knew the fairy had said a lot more about punishment and making her as ugly on the outside as on the inside, but she really could not recall what else. She looked at her reflection in the mirror. "Am I really that ugly on the inside?"

On the days following the wedding, Isabel spent all her time in thoughtful introspection. She passed some of her time reading. She sent Lisette to fetch the books in an attempt to get her more comfortable with reading, and had even been making her read out loud. Lisette was not too pleased with this development, but she complied, just to appease the princess.

She soon started to insist that the princess needed to step outside her chambers and get some fresh air. She had asked the seamstress to make special veils for Isabel that allowed her visibility, but only allowed the silhouette of her face to be seen, such that the fur could not be discerned.

Isabel eventually relented and she and Lisette took a walk on the palace grounds very early one morning when it wouldn't be too hot and no one would be around. But it seemed that Christien had chosen to get an early start that day. He was delighted to finally see her after all these weeks, and he wasn't even trying not to overstep his bounds. Isabel remained uncomfortable and stiff. She wanted to roll her eyes and walk away, but that would be rude. So she politely answered all his inquiries about her health, provided non-committal responses when asked about Prince Andrei, and even thanked him for sending the gift of flowers with the other gardeners, forgetting that she had already conveyed her thanks through Miel. And when Christien offered to show her around the garden and point out all the changes that had been made since her last visit so long ago, she assented.

When it was time to go, she realized to her surprise that the little outing had done a lot to lift her spirits. Lisette mysteriously looked rather pleased with herself.

Isabel had noticed that she was spending more time with Lisette, and less time with Miel. Ever since the curse, Miel used to dutifully come to Isabel's chambers to spend a few hours with her, and see to her needs. But as Lisette started to fill that role more and more, Miel had started to withdraw more and more.

Isabel suspected she was spending all her time with the piano in the conservatory. Miel was a splendid musician. The two of them had taken lessons together as children in singing and various instruments, but when Isabel had realized that Miel would far surpass her in musical talent, she had promptly given up on all instruments, so that no one could ever make a comparison in which she would suffer.

Or perhaps she was spending her time with Andrei. Her father certainly was. He had only visited her twice since the wedding and the only topic he would speak of was his new son-in-law. It was as if he was the one who had married Andrei. But it sounded like Andrei had gotten very involved with the governing of the entire kingdom, and the council loved him. Everyone seemed quite happy to have replaced her with Andrei.

Isabel soon began to spy on them. The upper level of the library, where she kept her private collection of books had a hidden entrance that was obscured by shelves. As she grew more comfortable walking around the palace in her new veil, she started to sneak into her upper levels, from where she could look down into the rest of the library and even on to the adjoining conservatory.

Andrei seemed to have a deep love of books, for he also spent a great deal of time in the library. She saw him carry thick tomes on law and commerce in which she had felt little interest, but she realized that there was a reason he was so much more knowledgeable than she.

She recalled the first time he had visited Jardinia. She had already taken a dislike to him at that point, having formed the suspicion that he was after her crown. But during his visit he had been very formal and business-like; he conducted his trade negotiations with great competence, and also delivered news of how his brother the king's guards had rounded up many of the bandits who had been raiding the Foretlands. She would have been very impressed with him too, in fact, she was, if she hadn't been feeling so upset at the fact that the entire council had immediately started to convince her to take him as a husband.

From the spying position, she noticed that he read for pleasure too. In fact he often visited the sections of the library that she frequented. If she wasn't careful, he might discover her hideout.

She also ascertained that he and Miel had indeed been spending time together, because she often observed them together in the conservatory. She could never hear what they spoke about, though. Mostly, he listened to her play.

About three weeks after the wedding, came an invitation to a ball in Lavigne. Adaline was always hosting large balls, especially during this time of the year when summer was winding down. It was of course out of the question for Isabel to attend, and she had half a mind to tell Miel that she saw no need for her to go either, but since she was actively trying to be nice, she told Miel that she should definitely go without her. Miel had never been so happy with her. Isabel had never even seen her show much emotion.

Later she heard that most of the Foret rulers had been present, and King Ioan had gathered them together to discuss plans to tackle the bandit problem, which seemed to have gone worse. Fier had sent some guards to the Foretlands to help fight them off. Isabel was starting to feel rather left out. She was wrong to have decided she didn't wish to rule anymore. She did very much wish to be involved with her kingdom, but she very much did not feel comfortable interacting with people while she was covered head to toe.

* * *

Isabel did start to get slowly more used to her covered up appearance. Servants at the palace had started to recognize her figure when she walked by, and they curtsied in their customary way and tried not to stare. She had also started to visit the gardens more frequently, sometimes accompanied by Lisette, and sometimes by herself. The gardeners and groundskeepers also stared, but no one ever questioned her about her appearance, for which she was grateful.

Christien was ever eager to provide her company, and she was gradually becoming used to his presence. She tried to make conversation with him. It was mostly about the garden, but she found that he also had news from outside the palace.

One of the smaller towns was being expanded and Prince Andrei was overseeing the process. He would ride down there every other day and apparently the townsfolk had become rather fond of him. He had made a habit of making rounds around the entire kingdom from time to time, and in the process had become very popular.

"He is an excellent orator," Christien told her. He had gone to hear him speak. "The crowd loved him."

Isabel knew she would never be able to compete with him. She was not the best orator. She had once tried to speak to the people in the town-square outside the palace to ask them to share any concerns with her, but they had all seemed very wary of her.

Christien had caught on to the fact Isabel and Andrei didn't really have a proper marriage and weren't even attempting to have a marriage; that the marriage had been for the sole purpose of him getting a title. Although, he wouldn't formally be king until Isabel came of age and had her coronation. That was still almost a year away.

Thankfully, Christien did not make any move to seize the opportunity to woo Isabel. She would have found that highly inappropriate and offensive.

It wasn't uncommon for queens and their husbands to take lovers of their choice, though this happened so discreetly, only those who made it their business to know ever found out who was sleeping with whom. But Isabel had no desire for lovers, and besides she had no interest in Christien except as someone to converse with.

She usually liked to have Lisette with her. Christien, like everyone else, had seemed a little uncomfortable by Lisette's scar at first and avoided looking at her when he spoke to her, but he was starting to grow used to it. He appeared to enjoy having her visit when she came down with Isabel. Sometimes they conversed about life outside the palace walls with which Isabel could not relate, but in listening to them talk, she was starting to learn so much more about that.

"That's why Andrei makes such a conscious effort to get to know the common folk," she realized.

* * *

The summer days were coming to an end. Isabel had started to think more and more about changing her mind and asking her father to let her be involved with the kingdom again.

She hadn't seen much of him, except when he came to visit, and she did not enjoy those visits much. Miel had become a lot warmer than usual ever since Isabel had encouraged her visits to Lavigne, and she had started to visit more and more, even when there were no balls. Often Andrei went with her, because he had business to discuss with his brother.

But Isabel had noticed that Miel did not seem particularly happy. She seemed a little conflicted. She asked her about it once, but her cousin assured her everything was alright. But, eventually, a few days after coming back from Lavigne, Miel nervously sat down next to Isabel and explained that Adaline had invited her to visit Lavigne.

"For how long?" asked Isabel.

"As long as I want," Miel replied. She was still scared Isabel might get upset.

"And how long do you wish to stay there?" Isabel asked, confused.

Miel sighed.

"I'm not sure…I think it might be good for me to have a change and clear my head."

Isabel felt a little alarmed.

"Miel," she said firmly. "Please tell me if something is the matter here. Have you…has…anyone…been giving you trouble?" Her tone was uncertain.

"Oh no, nothing like that," Miel assured her. "I have been wanting the change for some time but I had been too scared to ask."

Isabel wasn't fully convinced.

"And now that you have Lisette to look after you, I thought maybe I could…"

"Very well then," said Isabel. "But make sure you don't elope with some strange gentleman, you're still my heir." Miel looked alarmed for a second before she realized Isabel was joking. That was rather different. Isabel rarely joked with her.

But she felt like a load had lifted off her shoulders after the conversation. Within a few days, Miel was gone. It didn't make a huge difference to her daily life, Isabel realized, for she had not been seeing much of Miel lately. But Isabel still felt her loss. Maybe she should have tried harder to connect with her.

But as the autumn days came upon them and the leaves started to turn yellow, orange, and red, she decided it was time she righted the mistake she had made in giving up her claim to the throne.


	7. Chapter 7

**_Miel_**

 _When Prince Andrei came to live in Jardinia, Miel made every attempt to make him feel welcome and comfortable. She had never approved of Isabel's treatment of him. She had found him very pleasant and rather charming. But now that Isabel had decided to shun him completely, Miel made the effort to help him get to know the palace and its staff. Her uncle was grateful for her help, and he was also eager himself to help his new son-in-law settle in._

 _Andrei did not really need their help. He had no trouble winning over the palace staff himself. Now that she was getting to know him personally, Miel found him even more agreeable and appealing. She spent several afternoons and evenings in his company. He liked to accompany her to the conservatory and was most enchanted when she played. He sat with her and listened to any topic that she wished to speak about, be it music, or balls, or Isabel._

 _And Miel did talk about Isabel a lot. She spoke about growing up in her shadow. Isabel had excelled in every academic subject save for music, and she had been very controlling and attempted to dictate Miel's interests. Miel did not really care for half the things Isabel made her read, though she was thankful Isabel never interfered with her music, perhaps because the princess had given up on that pursuit herself. Andrei was most attentive, and he asked many questions, especially about Isabel._

 _And then Miel realized it really would not do if she fell in love with the princess's legal husband, married though they were only in name. She was troubled for some time, but she finally confided in Queen Adaline during a visit to Lavigne. Adaline had always offered her friendship to both girls, though Isabel was never keen on it. And Adaline knew what to do in instances such as this. When she suggested Miel come to stay with her for some time, Miel knew she would like that very much. She had never cared much for Jardinia, and always loved her visits to Lavigne. But she was also afraid of Isabel. But Isabel had changed since the curse, and much more willing to listen to her concerns. When she finally expressed her desire for the change, she was relieved when the princess did not object._

* * *

 **Chapter 7**

Isabel had come up with a plan, after many hours of pacing and thinking out loud to Lisette. Her plan was simple. She would visit her father in his sitting room, where he and Andrei usually retired after their evening meal. She wasn't entirely sure what they discussed, but it had to be affairs of the kingdom.

She wasn't particularly keen on interacting with Andrei. The only time she had seen him was during Miel's departure. He had politely inquired after her health, and she had perfunctorily thanked him and replied that she was well.

But if she were to become involved with governing again, she saw no way but to interact with him, given how much of the governance matters he had already taken over, unofficially though it were.

Once she ascertained that the two men were in the regent's sitting room, she knocked and entered. Both men were shocked to see her. They were discussing building plans with a glass of wine each. "He has really found himself the son he never had," she thought to herself angrily.

"Isabel?" asked Prince Henri in surprise. He had not seen her in days. Andrei stood up in way of greeting, but didn't say anything.

"I thought I would visit you," she mumbled, "I haven't seen you in many days."

"Of course, dearest daughter," Henri replied happily. "Please join us." Isabel took a seat to his right, as Andrei sat down again, looking very cautious. "It is my fault for having been neglectful these past few days; there has been so much going on…"

Isabel nodded in acknowledgement, but didn't say anything. She had been a little upset with him for neglecting her, but perhaps because his visits did little to improve her spirits, she didn't mind quite so much. She was debating whether to acknowledge Andrei's presence, but then decided too much time had passed already.

"We were only talking about our visit to the construction site of the new road we are building through the Forest," her father said, and proceeded to give her details. "It would make trade with Fier significantly easier." Isabel listened with interest. Andrei was doing most of the talking. He had a knack for convincing her father to put in more effort. The Foretlands were infamous for their laid-back culture. They have always managed to get by with the minimum effort required. And this made them open to outsiders who were willing to pull more weight.

She had seen Andrei like this only once before, when he had first visited Jardinia and worked with the council. He was very serious and business-like, quite different from his persona in the ballroom when he was only full of insincere flattery. This Andrei intimidated rather than infuriated her. He had a bit of a condescending attitude though. He would often assume she wasn't following the conversation and go back and repeat it in simpler terms. She would have found that infuriating except for the fact that most of the time, he was right, and she did find herself not following.

Prince Henri soon steered the conversation to Isabel. He asked about how she was spending his days, to which she gave very clipped responses, and then finally excused herself and ran back to her room. She recounted to Lisette how awkward it had been, and how so very inadequate she felt compared to Andrei. There was no way her father or the council will prefer her as sovereign to him. She could perhaps make a case for maintaining the sovereignty in title, but everyone would want Andrei to bear all the full duties of ruler.

* * *

Nevertheless, she went back to join them in the sitting room the next evening. They were once again surprised by her presence, but willing to include her. Prince Henri poured her a cup of wine, but Isabel declined. She did not wish to embarrass herself by trying to sip the drink under her veil.

The two of them, it appeared, had ridden out to the construction site again. It was unlike her father to be so carefully be involved in overseeing such matters; this had to be Andrei's influence.

After a while, she asked a question that had been on her mind. "Wouldn't the road make it easier for the bandits to travel as well?"

She had asked Henri, but he turned to Andrei for an answer.

"Well, yes," answered the young prince. "But my brother King George has been quite vigilant in trying to put an end to their looting. And I have a plan for training guards who will watch the paths that lead to the Forest, and there will always be guards travelling with the goods that are transported."

Isabel nodded, not quite trusting herself to answer him back.

When the bandits began their raids on Foret villages, all the Foret kingdoms felt quite at a loss to deal with them. Their guards were not trained for it. The Foretlands consisted of peaceful agrarian kingdoms, who had not the fear of attack from enemies. The Inghetlands, on the other hands, were much better trained in security, given that there was usually always unrest in their lands and kingdoms fought over resources. The Foret kingdoms had always had strong trade relations with Fier, the largest and most stable of the Inghet kingdoms. They send agricultural produce, while Fier sent steel and other mineral resources. Now, Fier was also offering protection, but it seemed they wanted to have better control over the Foretlands, so the king had sent his younger brothers to marry into Foret thrones.

"Sometimes we are too trusting," Isabel had thought. But neither Ioan nor Andrei had given any reason to think they didn't have Lavigne's or Jardinia's best interests at heart. It seemed they both really only wanted their own kingdoms to rule, since they were too far down the line to ever hope to rule Fier, and there were no opportunities to marry into any other Inghet throne.

Before she left them that evening, Isabel had another thought.

"Father, do you remember the story Mother told you about the fairy who was angry with her when you were cutting down the trees of the Forest?"

Andrei looked interested in this, so Henri asked Isabel to tell him the entire story.

"Could it be the same fairy who did this to you?" Henri mused.

"Don't you think, she, or any other fairy might get angry for building the road through the Forest?" Isabel asked.

"I don't think that's likely," said Andrei thoughtfully. "We have had scouts carefully layout where the road will be, and we don't have any reason to believe any fairies live nearby. If anything, I think they have moved to a different part of the Forest."

Isabel nodded her acknowledgement again.

"But I should ask the men to keep an eye out for a fairy," he said, thinking out loud. "If we come across one, she should be able to help with…ah, with your situation."

"Thank you," said Isabel quickly before he could add anything else.

* * *

Isabel didn't know much about building roads or building any kind of structure really. She decided to find some books on the topic, and starting to learn about it. She got a book on steel production as well since she had heard her father and Andrei discussing the possibility of making bloomeries in Jardinia to produce the steel instead of importing it all from Fier.

She sat at the big table and pored over the books. The last book on steel production proved to be much too dense for her. There were confusing diagrams and the text didn't make much sense to her either. This was the unfortunate moment when Andrei decided to come into the library. She snapped the book shut and set it aside.

She could tell Andrei had a moment of confusion when he couldn't decide whether to stay or leave, but in the end, he greeted her politely and sat across from her. Curiously, he looked over to the book she had set aside.

"That looks like rather dense material," he commented.

Isabel narrowed her eyes under her veil. "You think it is too dense for me?"

"Well," he said slowly, "I suppose I assumed so. I have not been able to make much sense of it."

"Oh," she said, surprised.

"But I did visit some scholars to have it explained to me," he went on. Then he proceeded to talk about why it would benefit Jardinia to start steel production. He really enjoyed talking about his work and his plans, Isabel realized; and he was very sincere when he talked about them.

She looked over at the book he had brought with him.

"I was only reading for fun," he explained. "There wasn't a lot happening today."

It was a historical account of some of the battles in the Inghetlands. Isabel had read this book, not too long ago. There were some outcomes that she thought were questionable, and she asked him about them. He was surprised by her question, but seemed to rather enjoy sharing his perspective on them. Isabel disagreed with him on some of his thoughts, and she told him so. But he was not one to accept disagreement, and they found themselves engaging in a long discussion, before the matter was settled (in Andrei's favor, of course).

Later, Isabel reflected that this was the first genuine conversation she had ever had with Andrei, and surprisingly, it was actually somewhat pleasant. The only person with whom she had ever had lengthy discussions about books was her father, and it had been many months since they had one of those discussions. Perhaps, now that Andrei had what he wanted, he wouldn't be so infuriating to be around.

Perhaps, Isabel thought, albeit doubtfully, he could be a friend. If she could persuade him to be her friend, maybe he might be inclined to listen to her if she requested him to let her retain sovereignty.

She had reviewed the contract carefully. Upon her coronation, she would be crowned queen, and he would be crowned king, making him the absolute authority over all of Jardinia. It wouldn't bar her from being involved, but she had a right to be maintain the authority that was her birthright, and surely, if he was her friend, he would see it her way, and let her alter the contract? Or even better, if she asked him as a friend, he might dissolve the marriage and seek to be king elsewhere.


	8. Chapter 8

**_Andrei_**

 _Princes Isabel would never cease to surprise him._

 _When they had first met at a ball in Lavigne, he had been so sure she wanted to catch his interest. She came to him to converse about trade and politics, though it was clear she had not much experience with either, and possibly not much interest either. So he decided to relieve her of such topics and asked her to dance and engaged her other topics that young ladies found more interest in. But he soon discovered that she was as rude and wretched as she was beautiful._

 _To be truthful though, Andrei cared little about the charm of her character or countenance. The prize he sought was her kingdom. Though he felt sorry about the condition in which she found herself, it was hard to sympathize with one who refused to see him and viewed him as a predator; she had written it into the marriage contract that he was never to approach her without explicit permission. But as he learned more about her from her cousin, he was surprised to learn that she had read widely and had nurtured actual interest in matters of governance. He found it hard to believe._

 _He had not expected she would eventually come out of her seclusion, or that she would be civil in her behavior towards him. Or perhaps her condition and seclusion had changed her. And now he was coming to learn her true nature for himself._

* * *

 **Chapter 8**

Isabel continued to join her father and Andrei every night after dinner, and she gradually felt more and more comfortable in there. She and Andrei had progressed to be on comfortable speaking terms, and though they were polite and formal when addressing each other, they had started to converse without requiring Henri to participate. Henri seemed rather delighted at this development.

During the day, Isabel pored over books that she hoped would make her as knowledgeable as Andrei, although she knew that books wouldn't make up for her lack of experience. Andrei had been very intimately involved with the governing at Fier since a young age, he had told her. He had travelled all over the Inghetlands as the ambassador from Fier, and helped to negotiate peace among the various kingdoms, and Isabel was certain his charismatic personality made him popular among all those kingdoms. When his brother's sons grew old enough to take over his ambassador duties, he had travelled farther to seek out his fortunes.

Lisette had been a little distressed however when Isabel started to become wrapped up in books. For one, Isabel had been instructing Lisette to read texts that were beyond her, and for another, Lisette had to far overstep her bounds as her handmaiden to drag her outside because she really needed some fresh air if she was to continue on her path to improving her health.

Isabel did not mind the walks. She could speak with Christien and the gardeners to get news from outside the palace, and they offered some opinions sometimes that she had not quite expected. She mentioned these to her father and Andrei one time, and it turned out that some of those concerns had been brought up at court. However, the next day, she was somewhat irked to find that he had decided to walk along the grounds and spend a great deal of time speaking with the gardeners, groundskeepers, and other staff.

Christien later gave her a detailed account of Prince Andrei's visit. He had listened to some of their concerns, but he mostly engaged them in casual conversation. He and Christien had chatted about Lavigne.

"What did you find so interesting about Lavigne?" Isabel asked in surprise.

"Oh, I've always wanted to learn more about the vineyards and how they're managed," he laughed. "My family owns an orchard and I've grown up around all kinds of trees, but I've never seen a vineyard before."

The next day, Isabel surprised him by bringing him a book on vineyards. He read it dutifully, and learned a lot of things he didn't know, but it wasn't quite the same as actually visiting a vineyard.

* * *

Isabel heard that the complaints about the robbers and bandits in the Forest had not stopped. They had been causing some serious trouble with the construction of the road.

"Where do they come from?" She asked Andrei one day when he had happened to join her in the library, and was telling her about the complaints he and Prince Henri had received at court.

"I'm sorry?"

"I mean to ask, why are they so many of them now? We had never had this problem before."

Andrei considered this. "It's likely due to the unrest up there. And there are also rather a lot of job shortages; I suppose they are turning to robbery."

"Then can't you just create more jobs?" she asked. She knew it was a naïve question as soon as she had said it. She had only been thinking out loud.

"It's not that simple," he laughed.

"Don't mind me," she said, embarrassed. "It was a foolish question."

"Oh no, it is a very important and relevant question for the Inghetlands," he explained quickly. "It's just not one that has a simple solution."

She was surprised by his response. She was used to having her questions dismissed as foolish by everyone on the council.

* * *

After much deliberation, Isabel decided it was time she started to attend council meetings again. If she were to make a case to retain sovereignty, she would need their support as well. She had heard her father and Andrei mention when the next one was going to be, and she made an appearance.

And her appearance did cause quite a stir. She came early, so her entrance wouldn't be conspicuous, but most of the councilmen had already arrived. She hadn't realized how interested they all would be in her "illness". Lady Madeleine, who had taken her late husband's spot on the council for the time being, took great interest in sitting next to her and asking her all sorts of questions. Isabel felt rather uncomfortable. She had to make up stories about marks that the illness left on her face to explain the veil (apparently this was a common theory) and she made up all kinds of stories about how her strength was only slowly returning.

Andrei and Henri had come in late, and they were rather confused to see her there. But Andrei was keen on beginning the meeting as he had a number of items we wished to discuss. Isabel observed the proceedings with interest. Things had changed quite a bit since Andrei had started to get involved. He ran the meetings these days instead of Lord Francis, and Isabel noticed that Lord Francis seemed rather disgruntled about it. But this had the interesting effect that the other members were much more engaged and efficient during the meeting.

It seemed she had picked a rather interesting day to attend. There had been a lot of talk about better training for guards, and more training opportunities for smiths, and then Andrei mentioned that they needed to start putting a plan together to improve the education system since it was so outdated. Isabel's jaw dropped slightly, fortunately no one would have noticed unless they were looking specifically at her. She turned to look at Lord Francis, who mumbled his usual response about lack of funds. And then the fun started when Lord Leopold chimed in that he had been taking a close look at the finances and account books, and the records weren't adding up. He and Lord Francis then got into a verbal altercation, and it became clear Leopold was accusing him of misplacing funds, and the rest of the room started to offer conflicting views. Prince Henri looked rather uncomfortable. He was on very good terms with Lord Francis and did not like the implications. Andrei handled the situation by suggesting that this may have been an honest mistake, and he appointed two other lords to investigate the matter further. Lord Francis looked relieved, but now he had to deal with the implication that he was too senile for his job.

Later, when the meeting was adjourned, Isabel was heading back to her chambers when Andrei walked up to her and carefully asked if he could walk with her. She was glad to note that he was being mindful of the contract.

"It seems council meetings have become much more interesting since I stopped attending," she said brightly.

"Oh I assure you, I have never seen this much drama, since I joined," he laughed. "You used to attend the council meetings?" He asked, his tone betraying some surprise.

"Oh yes, I was training with my father and I used to attend regularly before I-"

She couldn't finish the sentence, because the thought of her curse immediately replaced her bright spirits with a gloomy one. Then an uncomfortable silence hung around them like a thick cloud, until Isabel decided to break it.

"I thought you did a splendid job handling the situation back there," she said earnestly.

"Oh," he said, surprised and ran his hand through his hair. "Thank you."

While they walked in awkward silence a little longer, Isabel was thinking about how best to tell him about the plans she had drawn up for improving the education system. After going over it once in her head, she told him how she had made several versions of her plans but Lord Francis had not approved of any of them. Andrei really wasn't expecting this, but to Isabel's delight, he was quite eager to see them.

She met him in the library to show her all versions of the plan, and he immediately began to look at them very carefully. Isabel was starting to feel very excited that maybe these plans would see fruition, but then she realized that he was scrutinizing them and raising several feasibility concerns. Her mood dampened again and she felt rather cross. She hadn't really had a chance to think every detail through like that. She didn't even know how Andrei thought of everything like this.

She excused herself, but he asked if he could keep her plans. That night she did not join her father and Andrei after dinner.

The next morning, to her immense shock, Lisette informed her that Prince Andrei had asked to meet her in the library. When she joined him there, she saw that he had her documents and some other books laid out on the table.

"I'm sorry for bothering you," he said. "But I had been studying your plans further, and I think there's a lot we can do with them."

"Really?" She was shocked.

He showed her what he had been reading and the ways he had thought of to address the feasibility issues. He had made many alterations to the plans, but it was still essentially her plan. Isabel was so happy she could have hugged him. But of course, she had better sense than that.

"I want to ride into town today to visit some of the schools before we finalize anything though," he said. Then he added awkwardly, "Would you, ah, would you like to come?"

Isabel was taken aback by the proposition.

"No, uh, I don't really much like to go outside since-"

Andrei looked curiously disappointed, but she thought there was a flash of vexation in his eyes too. He could be so strange sometimes.

"Um, I could come, and sit in the carriage while you visit," she suggested.

"Oh I'd thought we could go on horseback," he started to say. "It would be so much quicker."

"No, that's in plain sight," she objected. "Besides I don't like horses."

He was incredulous when he heard that, but he ordered the carriage anyway. It was only when she climbed in with him, that she realized this was too close a proximity for her to feel comfortable. But she forgot her discomfort when he began to argue with her about horses and thought it was outrageous when she finally revealed that she felt uncomfortable riding.

During the ride home, however, they were deep in conversation about what he had learned from his visit, and how they were going to finalize their plans and set it in action.


	9. Chapter 9

**_Andrei_**

 _Back in his homeland, Andrei had rather enjoyed his work as an ambassador, even if he had always nurtured ambitions of becoming king. He had also trained his nephews, the younger sons of his brother King George to take over for him before he set out to seek his fortunes. He hadn't realized how much he missed teaching, guiding, and mentoring them until he started to play that role for Isabel._

 _He had not realized he missed home. Of course, he was happy to make Jardinia his new home. He was overjoyed at having achieved his dream of becoming ruler. But he had not felt as ecstatic about it as he had always imagined. Perhaps it was due to the less-than-happy circumstances that led him to attain the position of future king; but something about Jardinia made him feel not quite at home yet. The laid-back nature in these parts could be frustrating, but it did make him stand out more among Jardinians. They all looked up to him. He had carefully built his persona as that of a perfect ruler, and now he had to maintain it every waking moment. Prince Henri and the council had all come to expect it of him._

 _Isabel, however, did not care for that persona. She probably even resented it, and certainly preferred the mentor and teacher side of his nature._

 _She may have even made a decent ruler. Neither her father nor anyone on the council had wanted to train her properly, perhaps because they did not enjoy her company (which would not be hard to believe), but most likely because she always wanted to know more and would not do as she was told. Foretmen would surely find that daunting, but Andrei rather enjoyed it._

* * *

 **Chapter 9**

Over the next few weeks, Isabel made the surprising discovery that she enjoyed working with Andrei. It was so different compared to when she had tried to work with her father or the council. They were never interested in anything new, and were very exasperated with her ideas. They only wanted her to do as she was told and rule as she was instructed. She knew that they dismissed her because she was a woman.

Andrei had not expected to find a woman so interested in governance matters, and he had admitted as much to her. But unlike the council, he wasn't dismissive of her. He seemed rather happy to finally find someone who was genuinely interested in exploring new ideas and discussing them in great depth, someone he didn't have to coax or charm into action. He thought that she had a little bit of the "Foretland indolence" as he liked to call it, especially when presented with ideas that seemed too daunting, but she seemed rather motivated to overcome it when in his company.

Soon, they were working together not only on the education plans, but almost everything else. Now Prince Henri found himself being left out of the conversations they had every night after dinner. He did feel a little ticked off; but if Isabel was warming up to Andrei, then she was getting closer to the point where she could be convinced to change her mind about the contract. But they were still a ways off. For instance, when Andrei had invited Isabel to join them for dinner, she had declined immediately. She would not entertain the idea of taking off her veil in front of Andrei, nor would she consider eating with her veil on.

What surprised Henri the most was that Andrei seemed to be very willing to guide Isabel in her ideas. He offered plenty of feedback on her ideas, and oftentimes they were rather harsh critiques, but Isabel was accepting all that criticism and learning to examine her own ideas critically and identifying their strengths and weaknesses. He wondered when Andrei was king, how much he would be willing to share his duties as ruler with Isabel. His recent behavior suggested he would be amenable to it. Or perhaps he was humoring her for now, having finally discovered the correct path to win her heart.

Isabel too had wondered why he was so willing to work with her and questioned his motives. Would he really consider letting her maintain sovereignty? She couldn't be sure. She could tell that Andrei really wanted to be king. Perhaps he had worked so hard his whole life in order to achieve a position to be king, and she couldn't be sure how he would react if she asked him to give that back just when he got so close.

* * *

One day Isabel was headed back to her apartments after a council meeting. She heard voices come from within her sitting room outside her chambers. Lisette was laughing.

"Oh yes, but they only ever talk about politics. It's dreadfully boring," Lisette was saying.

"You make it sound as if you are present for the conversations," her companion laughed. It was Christien's voice.

"Oh no, of course not, but the princess tells me all about it afterwards."

Isabel was amused. She knew Lisette did not enjoy listening to her ramblings about everything she and Andrei had been discussing, but she had to talk to someone and Lisette was the only one available.

"Well I suppose it's wonderful that she is involved with the kingdom again. I know that she had really looked forward to rule, before Prince Andrei snatched the kingdom from her," said Christien. Lisette agreed enthusiastically.

Isabel smiled. It was nice to know that she had two friends who were unwavering in their support of her. But, much to her own surprise, she felt they weren't being entirely fair to Andrei. After all, it was she herself who had given him permission to take over, back when she had been too miserable to care.

"Good afternoon, Christien," Isabel said loudly, announcing her presence as she walked inside.

"Good afternoon, Princess," he smiled. "I came to inquire after your health. I have not seen you visit the gardens in quite some time."

Isabel chuckled. "It has barely been a week since I last visited, but yes, I have grown rather busy these past few days."

Chrisitien nodded. This was harvest season after all, one of the busiest in Jardinia.

They talked for some time, and then Christien finally bowed and left.

"Come, Lisette, it's time to practice your reading," she said. "I shan't bore you today with today's dreary details. My father and Prince Andrei are gone to attend a ball in Bosquet, so no one wanted to get any work done anyway. I tried to-"

She stopped herself before she broke her pledge not to bore Lisette. Lisette dutifully picked up her book, but instead of beginning her reading, she said, "Don't you miss attending the balls, your highness? Prince Andrei is getting to have all the fun!"

Isabel thought about this as she took off her veil and gloves, and relaxed. "I don't miss them that much," she replied. "Good conversation used to run out rather fast. I used to enjoy them a lot more when I was younger. But if I may make a conjecture, I don't believe Prince Andrei has that much fun either. After he came back from the last two balls, he only talked about his carefully planned out diplomatic interactions. It sounds exhausting. Maybe that's why he can't get through any occasion without his drink," she mused.

Lisette continued to talk about other things, moving on to Christien and the garden, but Isabel firmly made her turn her focus back to reading.

* * *

Autumn was passing rather quickly, in stark contrast to how slowly summer had seemed to drag. Autumn was the prime time for balls and celebrations all over the Foretlands, and they were held primarily in Lavigne courtesy of Queen Adaline, and Andrei was away at many of these events. Isabel's absence was widely noticed, though Andrei could never be sure if she was actually missed by anyone, except his sister-in-law, who always insisted he try to bring her with him next time. He tried to make up for her absence by telling tales of her slow recovery, but he also praised her insightful contributions to the affairs of the kingdom. He was keen to keep up pretenses of having a proper marriage.

Jardinia had a tradition of holding a large harvest moon festival and ball towards the end of the harvest season. The festival was attended by most citizens of the kingdom, though the ball was for the nobles and the royalty. Andrei had not been present for it during the previous year, though he recalled Ioan mentioning that he had rather enjoyed himself.

When it was brought up at the council meeting, Isabel was rather against it and wanted to have it cancelled.

"But won't our subjects be disappointed, my dear?" her father asked. "You know they look forward to it very much."

Isabel tilted her head to one side, considering this. "Oh, let us have the festival by all means," she said. "But why do we need the ball as well?"

"But would the nobility attend, otherwise?" asked Lord Nicolas, frowning.

"That is their concern," said Isabel, turning her head towards him.

The council turned to look at Andrei, who looked conflicted. "While it is unfortunate not to host a ball at Jardinia this year, I am sure the nobles will understand, given the circumstances. And I do recall my brother praising the festival much more so than the ball, when he had attended last year."

Isabel was not expecting him to take her side on this matter, but the council seemed to be swayed by his words.

Later, she laughed about it. "I did not expect you would wish to forego this opportunity for diplomacy," she told him. "You must be getting rather tired of all these balls."

"Why would you say that?" he asked, amused.

"Only the other day you were saying that the Foret nobles have too much time on their hands, and how difficult it is to have serious discussions with them when all they wish to do is dance and sing and stuff their faces."

Andrei laughed with her, although he was certain he had not expressed himself in such a manner. Nevertheless, he was surprised that he had allowed himself to complain. He had not realized when he had begun to drop his guard around Isabel.

He caught himself the next time before he said too much when she asked him why he avoided attending the next ball in Lavigne, and he only said something about a disagreement with Ioan. Later, he thought he might have told her after all. Usually the only person in the Foretlands he could talk to freely was Ioan, but right then they were arguing, and there was no one left to talk to. Prince Henri would listen and may offer one or two piece of advice, but on the whole, would not concern himself with a problem that did not involve him. No one on the council would be interested, and Andrei certainly did not find any of them to be particularly reliable with their confidence. Isabel might be the only person who would be willing to discuss the matter at depth, although she would most certainly impress her opinion on the matter as well.

However, with the preparations for the festival keeping him busy, he decided not to give these matters much further thought.

* * *

Lisette seemed much more excited about the festival than anyone else in the palace. Or perhaps Isabel did not see enough of the others. But excitement in everyone was palpable.

Isabel had at first decided she would spend the festival in her chambers, but her father insisted it was important for her to make at least one public appearance, draped and covered though she may be. Part of her wanted to ignore him, part of her wanted to join in the festival (which she did in fact enjoy much more than the other balls around the kingdoms), and part of her knew Andrei was right when he said it might not look good if she was absent.

"Always so conscious about image," she thought, feeling a little annoyed.

Much of the royalty were not going to attend, but King Ioan and Queen Adaline were planning on being present. Lady Miel was going to accompany them. Isabel was happy at the prospect of seeing Miel again. They had kept in touch through letters, but there was always so much left unsaid in letters.

Christien was excited about the festival too, and he was most excited when she told him she would be attending. He and the gardeners were busy preparing the palace grounds where the festival to be held and he wanted every inch of the garden to look its best.

"Perhaps this might be fun after all," Isabel thought.


	10. Chapter 10

**_Andrei_**

 _He had been such a fool. Such an irresponsible fool. Andrei had told himself that he was not to blame for what he had told the fairy under the influence of alcohol, nor for what she had done. She would have done it anyways; she only used him as an excuse. And it really had helped him get what he had always wanted. It ruined Isabel's life in the process, but she had brought it upon herself._

 _He had thought her wretched. He had thought he really was helping to save Jardinia from her, for if Prince Henri was to be believed, she would have driven the kingdom to the ground. How wrong he had been about her. If only he had gone about things the right way from the start, if he had been the friend she needed and provided the guidance she wanted, then he may have been very happily married to the most beautiful woman in all of the Foretlands._

 _But then, Andrei realized, in this fantasy, he would never have been king. Even if Isabel had married him willingly, she would never have passed sovereignty to him if not for her affliction. Even now, he knew he would have to run the risk of her wishing to renegotiate the contract to retain her sovereignty upon coronation. And he had been increasing this risk by spending the past few weeks mentoring her on governance, but he had been pushing those thoughts away. He was finally starting to feel the joy from his new position that he had always imagined, and he wouldn't do anything to change that. The trouble was that his increase in happiness was accompanied by an increase in a sense of guilt. So he tried to think as little of the curse as possible, but it was proving to be difficult since he spent so much time wondering what Isabel looked like under that veil._

* * *

 **Chapter 10**

Isabel waited inside the palace for a long time trying to gather the courage to step outside into the grounds. The guests were already outside, and she had bid Lisette to go on ahead without her. Now Miel was waiting with her, and even though Miel was impatient to get to the festival, she did not mind standing with the princess telling her about her time in Lavigne. It was strange having Isabel be the one listening for once, and Miel had noticed that it had definitely become easier to talk to her. However, Isabel made no move to step outside. Perhaps she may have stood before the doors the entire night if Queen Adaline had not burst through it.

"My dear friend," she exclaimed. "We thought you weren't going to come outside today after all, so I was coming in to find you. I haven't seen you since your wedding, and even then I barely saw you! We have missed you at the Lavignian court!" She didn't give Isabel much of a chance to respond before she went on, "I do hope you have recovered from your horrid illness, I am truly sorry for whatever lasting marks it has left on you. But do know that you can always come to me if you need anything. After all, we are sisters now!"

Isabel laughed uncertainly and thanked her.

"Come, let us stroll about the grounds. We have much to discuss," announced the queen and dragged Isabel outside and they walked around the gardens, away from the other guests. Miel smiled at them and set off towards the festival itself. Isabel was alarmed at the nature of the conversation they were about to have, but fortunately Adaline always chatted non-stop. She did ask a few questions regarding how things were between her and Andrei, but fortunately Isabel could provide positive-sounding yet non-committal responses to those. They walked past the rose bushes and Adaline was quite impressed by the quality of the roses. Isabel smiled and made a mental note to tell Christien about it.

Anxious to get away lest she started asking questions about her condition, Isabel asked where King Ioan was so she could greet him.

"Oh, he and Andrei are still arguing I believe," said the queen, a tinge of annoyance to her voice and led Isabel to the brothers. They were indeed speaking in angry voices that they were attempting to keep down, but Isabel and Adaline got close enough to hear. They were both carrying empty cups, and Isabel supposed the wine might contribute to making them especially querulous.

"Just because you've got your own kingdom now doesn't mean you can just forget about our homeland," Ioan was saying.

"You've got your own kingdom too, and I don't see you doing much," Andrei retorted angrily.

Isabel was rather affronted by the way they were speaking about her kingdom (and Adaline's) but when she turned to look at her companion, she only rolled her eyes and didn't look one bit offended.

"That is enough arguing for tonight, darling," she announced loudly, walking up to them and taking Ioan's arm. "You're missing all the festivities." Isabel noted how freely she addressed him and for the first time wondered what their relationship was like. She had not had a chance to observe them together till now.

Ioan was about to respond, but then he noticed Isabel, and bowed to her. "Princess Isabel, it is wonderful to see you again after so long."

Isabel curtsied, feeling awkward. "Likewise, your majesty. I hope everything is alright?" She looked from one brother to the next. Andrei had looked uncomfortable as soon as he had noticed them, but now he walked up right next to her and said quickly, "Oh there's nothing to worry about."

"Oh yes, he's right," Ioan smirked. "Your husband is so dedicated to your kingdom, he is ignoring promises he made to our brother, King George." Isabel jumped involuntarily. She wasn't quite used to anyone referring to Andrei in that way, which is why she succeeded in pretending that the marriage had not actually happened; but she recovered quickly. Andrei, meantime, gave Ioan an irritated scowl; and Queen Adaline had started telling her husband off for being unkind.

"What promise?" Isabel asked, turning to Andrei.

"I promised to serve as ambassador and George wants me to help negotiate a new trade agreement with Ligne, but I have been telling him that this is not the best time," he replied, sighing.

"I would begin the negotiations myself," said Ioan. "But trade negotiations have been Andrei's expertise."

"These ones would take time. George wants to send workers to Ligne to alleviate the job shortage scenario, and right now, I don't think I can go away to Ligne for that long."

Isabel nodded. Ligne was rather sparsely populated and may be the most open to the idea of Inghetmen coming to work in their lands.

"Well, you're quite right," said Isabel. "This is not the best time of the year for Ligne either. Their farmers give them so much trouble this time of year, they wouldn't even want to consider it!"

Adaline nodded in agreement. "Yes, do you not recall Queen Jacinthe complaining about it at the last ball, darling? She complains about it every year."

Ioan looked skeptical, but Andrei seemed to relax.

"The winter would be a much better time for them," Isabel continued, encouraged.

"Then it's settled," Andrei smiled, "I shall write to George and inform him I will take this up in a few weeks."

Ioan sighed. "I wish there was something we could do more immediately," he frowned. Adaline looked exasperated that the conversation was not over.

Isabel tilted her head to one side, which Andrei had noticed she did whenever she was thinking. "Jardinia is making plans to build new bloomeries and smithies, I am certain we can have workers come here for that. But I suppose that would not be sufficiently immediate. Weren't all the Foret kingdoms speaking of sending men to Fier to train properly to deal with the bandits? Maybe we can bring more guards from Fier and have them train everyone here."

Andrei grinned, and felt a rush of affection at her thoughtfulness. He almost put an arm around her and had to catch himself just in time.

Ioan still looked uncertain and said, "I don't think we can convince the councils to agree to bring more guards."

"Why not?" Isabel asked sharply. "You've convinced them of everything else."

Ioan looked taken aback and Adaline laughed. Unexpectedly, Isabel joined her. Both brothers were reluctant to make their own councils feel they were placing priority on Fier, and Isabel had just called them out on that.

"Alright, I must insist, now," said Queen Adaline as her laughter subsided. "We really ought to enjoy the festival." She began to drag her husband away.

Andrei turned to Isabel with a warm smile. "I must thank you sincerely for your support back there," he said. She returned his smile, though he could only see a shadow of it through her veil, and shrugged. She had really only said what had come to her mind, but his gratitude felt nice all the same.

Andrei ran his hand through his hair. "You haven't had a chance to greet the other guests, have you?" She shook her head.

"Then if I may," he said extending his arm. Isabel hesitated for a split second bu then slipped her arm through his. Almost immediately she started to feel a strange fluttering sensation in her stomach. But it was quickly drowned out by the nervousness she felt at the prospect of having to greet the guests, and the curious looks they would be undoubtedly giving her. Fortunately, not many of the nobility were in attendance, and Andrei had the annoying habit of attracting all the attention within any crowd. This would normally have irked her greatly, but tonight she felt grateful for it.

They also had the opportunity to walk around the festival together. The Jardinian common folk always brought all kinds of merchandise to sell at the festival, and also sold the most delicious treats from the orchards. Isabel pointed out craftsmen whose work she liked the best, and the bakers whose pies she liked the best, and Andrei had sampled them for himself with great interest. He also wanted to refill his cup with his favorite Lavignian wine, but Isabel insisted that at this festival, he really ought to substitute the wine with the spiced cider. He obliged and was not disappointed. Isabel, of course, could not partake of any food or drink because of her veil, but she tried not to complain about it. It was, after all, by choice.

There were also performances from musicians from all over the Foretlands, though most of them were from Lavigne. Miel always watched every performance and sometimes even performed with them. This year too, she was among the musicians and appeared to have formed a strong camaraderie with them. The music was very lively at the festival, and the dancing rather spirited. Isabel and Miel had always joined in at the dances at the festival with the common folk, and they had both thought it was much more fun than the dancing at proper balls.

Andrei watched them with much interest and asked Isabel if she was familiar it with.

"Yes," she replied uncertainly, "But I am not dancing tonight!"

"Oh nonsense," he claimed, dragging her towards the dance floor.

"Andrei!" she exclaimed, and then quickly removed her arm from his, feeling embarrassed. She had never addressed him so informally before. She always avoided addressing him directly and always used 'Prince Andrei' when she absolutely had to; and he followed her lead and did the same. But now, he had turned to her with a wide smile. Isabel dropped her gaze and felt herself flush, feeling thankful for her veil.

"Well, it looked rather fun," he said. "I would have liked to learn." He sounded a tiny bit crestfallen. Isabel almost said he could ask any girl here to show him and they would be delighted at the opportunity, but strangely, she started to feel the urge to teach him herself.

"Oh alright," she said, holding out her hand, which he took eagerly. She would have liked to stand apart from the couples on the floor, but this dance required you to interact with the others. The dancing got interrupted when they approached and she was very conscious of everyone staring at her. But the dancers were quick to welcome them and cooperated a little too zealously as Isabel taught Andrei the steps; he picked them up quickly. They were able to join in the group soon and it was quite a bit of fun. Isabel noticed that Miel joined in from time to time, and Lisette and Christien were dancing together. That was new, she thought. She would have to ask Lisette about it later.

But people never stopped staring at her.

"They won't stop staring," she grumbled. Andrei chuckled.

"It's not the veil," he assured her. "They are curious to see us together, you know. People say all sorts of things, so it's important to keep up appearances."

He meant it harmlessly enough, but it still ticked Isabel off enough to ask sharply, "Is that why you wanted to dance?"

"No!" he replied quickly, looking stricken.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to ask in that way," she apologized, but she was starting to feel that she had had enough of dancing for that night. And of course Andrei would always be thinking about his public image, it was nothing she had not expected.

When they left the floor, Isabel said she would head back now, and made her way to the palace.

"Isabel," he called after her. She turned around. He had dropped the formalities too. And he was looking at her so intently as if he wanted to pierce her veil with his gaze. "I don't want you to think this was just for show," he implored. She didn't say anything, mostly because she was still feeling embarrassed.

"I'm sorry, I should not have addressed you informally without asking first," he apologized, mistaking her silence for disapproval. "I thought perhaps…since you had…maybe I could…" he was stammering now, and it was bringing back those fluttering sensations in her stomach.

"Perhaps it's time we dropped the formalities," she suggested quietly.

"I would like that very much," he smiled.

When Isabel returned to the palace, she was in high spirits once again.


	11. Chapter 11

**_Miel_**

 _Isabel was different. Even in her letters she had seemed a little different, but she was always so formal in her letters, it had been difficult to tell. This Isabel was quieter. This Isabel listened without forcing her opinion as fact. This Isabel did not make haughty or disparaging comments. And Miel was certain she did not frown as much either, although this was less easy to ascertain._

 _After she had arrived with the king and queen of Lavigne, they had gone straight to the festival. Realizing her cousin had not yet left the palace, Miel went to greet her, feeling somewhat apprehensive. And she was quite taken aback at what could be called a warm reception. Isabel seemed to put off going outside, and she kept asking Miel more questions about her time in Lavigne, and she listened patiently as Miel described her experiences learning to play new instruments, performing with renowned musicians, and even teaching the children of the Lavignian nobility the art of music._

 _Miel was most curious about her relationship with Prince Andrei. Based on what he had said during his past few visits to Lavigne, Miel had reason to believe that the animosity she felt towards him was evaporating. He seemed to be full of admiration for her, although how much of it was genuine, Miel could not tell. But as for Isabel, Miel was genuinely curious to know whether she had succumbed to his charms even after vehemently claiming to be immune to them._

* * *

 **Chapter 11**

The Lavignian party spent the night at the palace. The visiting king and queen were offered quarters near Prince Andrei's chambers, and he had taken responsibility for entertaining his brother and sister-in-law at that part of the palace.

Isabel found that part of her wanted to be there with them, but in such an intimate setting, there were likely to be questions raised about her relationship with Andrei, which seemed to be undergoing much evolution right now. Besides, she was quite eager to spend more time with Miel.

"How long will you remain in Lavigne?" Isabel asked. They were sitting outside Isabel's chambers.

"I-I don't know," replied Miel, still feeling nervous of a reproach, even though it didn't seem likely that her cousin would rebuke her. "The king and queen have been most gracious hosts and I have been enjoying myself immensely."

"Have you met anyone you failed to mention in your letters?"

Miel looked up to ensure Isabel was being playful before she laughed and replied in the negative. They had both been acquainted with all the eligible young men in Lavigne, and all of them had prior attachments. In addition, Miel thought that she might be more inclined towards the musician-type, although they were typically not of noble birth. However, Isabel, and indeed her uncle and her grandfather, would be rather opposed to a match like that. Miel did not see reason to mention this, because after all, there was no one particular musician who had caught her eye. She simply thought she might prefer being married to a musician than any nobleman of her acquaintance.

She was, however, very curious about Prince Andrei. She wasn't used to asking Isabel questions like that directly, so she made a statement and hoped the inherent question in it would be noted.

"I saw you dancing with Prince Andrei earlier this evening."

Isabel was still wearing her veil, but Miel could quite easily spot the silhouette of her smile.

"He was rather keen on learning it," she said. She sensed that Miel wanted to know more, so she went on, "As it turns out, I don't hate him anymore. I have been working with him on the affairs of the kingdom, and I've learned a great deal from him. That's all."

"Do you still…wish me to be your heir?" Miel asked slowly. Isabel looked at her in surprise.

"Officially you _are_ my heir, unless I give birth to a daughter," she stated the obvious. But she knew that was not what Miel had meant. "I-" she stammered. "I haven't given much thought to altering the conditions of the marriage contract."

"But if you no longer object to him-" Miel began uncertainly. She had started to feel comfortable enough to begin to press Isabel.

Isabel sighed and bit her lip. This was not a topic she wanted to think about. She supposed that had the curse never happened, she would have ultimately married someone suitable and somehow found a way to go through the process that would have given her heirs. She could not begin to fathom that some women (and based on gossip, it seemed, most men) liked to keep lovers for the purpose of pleasure. She was told on many occasions that if she fell in love, she would discover the pleasure; but she was highly skeptical.

She had started to like Andrei, but she didn't quite love him, did she? The thought of sharing a bed with him made her rather uncomfortable, and she really wanted to think of something else now.

"I haven't really thought about it," she said truthfully, some of her old haughtiness returning to her voice that put Miel on alert. "I have been more focused on wondering whether I could renegotiate the contract so that I retain sovereignty after my coronation."

"Oh," exclaimed Miel.

"You think he will not agree?" Isabel asked sharply. She was, in fact, voicing her main fear through this question.

"I don't know," replied Miel, shaking her head. "You always maintained that he was after your kingdom."

Isabel sighed. "I think he still is," she said despondently. "I can't tell if he would be sympathetic to my plea."

"He does respect you, you know," she said. Isabel looked at her with raised eyebrows. "He speaks very highly of you when he visits Lavigne."

Miel could swear Isabel was smiling under her veil again. Even if she wouldn't admit it to herself, Miel was sure that she was on her way to falling in love with him.

"And I noticed how attentive he was of you tonight," she added.

"But he is attentive of everyone," Isabel said with a touch of petulance. "You should see how he flirts with Lady Madeleine to get her to agree with him."

"She is twice his age," Miel laughed.

"And I'm fairly certain he was very attentive of you right before you left," Isabel finished. She looked straight at Miel and observed how flustered she became.

"He didn't…mean it that way," she said.

"What do you mean?" Isabel asked.

"He was very attentive," Miel began slowly, "And I admit I was very flattered. But I recalled what you said and I wondered if his attentions were directed at me because I was your heir."

Isabel sighed.

"But even then, he was always more interested in talking about you," Miel added.

"Is that why you left?" her cousin asked.

"It was part of the reason," Miel admitted. "I hope you are not angry with me. I promise I don't nurture any romantic feelings for him."

Isabel was astonished. "Well of course I wouldn't be angry with you. He was the one who was trying to charm you." But even then, she was aware of a small kernel of resentment at the back of her mind that she had to struggle somewhat to push away.

* * *

Isabel found her thoughts occupied with questions of whether Andrei genuinely cared for her, or was putting on an act for his benefit. Miel seemed to believe the former despite providing evidence for the latter. She decided to push these thoughts away as Lisette helped her undress for bed.

"Did you enjoy the festival?" She asked.

"Yes, quite a bit, your highness," Lisette smiled warmly, although her usual bubbling energy was at somewhat of a low. She must be tired, Isabel thought.

"I saw you dancing with Christien," she said, echoing Miel's question-loaded statement from earlier.

Lisette's smile faltered. "He has been a good friend," she said, growing serious. "I ran into my former husband and his new wife at the festival." Her voice shook a little. "They said some unkind things."

"Lisette, I am so sorry," exclaimed Isabel in surprise. "You should have come to me."

"Oh, it was nothing, your highness," Lisette brushed it away. "Christien was right there and he told them to leave me be and then he asked me to dance; I did enjoy myself."

"I'm glad," replied Isabel. "It had not even occurred to me that you might see him there!"

"It was no matter. It just reminded me of some painful memories. All I had to do was contemplate how much better off I am now." She smiled widely. "But Christien was very distraught when you and the prince took to the dance floor," she giggled. "I don't think he has given up on you yet."

Isabel made an exasperated noise and climbed into bed. This was one additional worry she could do without.


	12. Chapter 12

**_The Library_**

 _The library had been Isabel's favorite haunt since a young age. It was one of the largest rooms in the palace, spanning two floors and several rooms. She and Miel had taken their lessons in there from various masters and from Prince Henri himself, who often preferred the library to his own private study. They had occasionally had lessons from Lord Francis as well. They had also received music lessons in the conservatory adjoining the library, and the conservatory had been Miel's favorite haunt, and as such, the cousins spent a good deal of time in close proximity, but a small distance apart._

 _Isabel had claimed a personal spot in the upper levels. Its only entrance was a tiny spiral stairway hidden behind large shelves. And though the room had balconies that overlooked both the main reading area and the conservatory, it was blocked up by shelves full of Isabel's books. Sometimes, Isabel and Miel had talked through the cracks, though they had had to shout. And later, Isabel had found it a good spot to spy on both Andrei and Miel._

* * *

 **Chapter 12**

Isabel had not intended to be present to see off the Lavignian royal carriage, but she came anyway. Perhaps her first major public appearance at the Festival was making her feel more comfortable enough to stop minimizing social interactions, or perhaps she wanted to observe Andrei's interaction with Miel.

There wasn't much to see though. Andrei pleasantly said his farewells to his brother and sister-in-law and held a brief friendly conversation with Miel regretting that they did not have more opportunities to talk during this visit and handed her into the carriage. Isabel's farewells were much more awkward. Before the curse, she used to be much more confident in such interactions, although now when she looked back on them she could see how condescending she had often been. This time, she did her best to sound sincere and friendly.

As soon as the carriage rolled away, Andrei turned to her eagerly. "What shall we do today?" he asked.

Isabel was caught unawares by his warm smile. She had woken up that morning feeling colder towards him (as a subconscious result of her conversation with Miel the previous night), but his smile made her heart leap involuntarily.

Nonetheless, she suggested they try to get work done. There was a lot to sort out relating to the expenses of the fair. But neither of them had their mind on work that day.

Andrei tried to convince Isabel to come ride with him. He regularly liked to take a ride around different parts of Jardinia in an effort to get more familiar with the land and its people. She was still reluctant, but she was also aware that she had spent the entire summer sulking indoors and she had very little time left to enjoy the outdoors before it started to get cold. So she relented.

But as soon as she was saddled, she regretted it immediately. She was surely going to embarrass herself with her poor technique. Indeed, during the ride, Andrei was quite liberal with his pointers, and they were starting to make her irritable. Of course he was so much better than she was at everything imaginable. The ride didn't last too long.

The filly she was riding today was however much more cooperative than the other mares she had ridden before. She never had had her own horse, given her lack of enthusiasm. Andrei, on the other hand, had brought his gelding with him from Fier.

When they were returning the horses to the stable, it occurred to her that none of the horses sensed there was anything wrong with her, and she would have thought that animals had a keen instinct for detecting the unnatural. This cheered her up considerably.

"Isabel?" Andrei asked anxiously. "That wasn't too unpleasant, was it?" He was looking at her, trying desperately to get some indication of her expression, and Isabel realized that it must be difficult to communicate with someone when you couldn't read their expressions.

"No," she smiled and tried to convey the brightness through her tone. "Actually, I found that I rather liked the exercise. I think I should like to try it again another time." He smiled and said he would be delighted to have her company on his rides. As they walked back to the palace, she smiled to herself as she reflected upon how carefully he said her name.

They did plan to get to work when they got back, but somehow they found themselves in the conservatory adjoining the library. Isabel had inattentively walked over the piano and she played a few notes.

"Do you play?" he asked, taking a seat at the piano, but being careful to maintain a respectful distance.

"Miel and I were taught together," she responded. She had, in fact, lost interest in practicing as soon as she had realized Miel would far surpass her in this talent. It was rather silly of her, now that she thought about it.

"What about you?" she asked him.

"Ioan and I were taught too," he laughed. "But neither of us were any good at it."

Isabel pricked up her ears. "Why don't you play something then?" she grinned.

"I just said I wasn't any good," he responded incredulously.

"But that was what I had said about riding, and still you insisted I join you."

"I'll only embarrass myself."

"As I did this morning," she reminded.

"Oh I see," Andrei laughed. "This is payback."

After a brief internal struggle, he relented too and made an attempt to play. And it was true, to Isabel's delight, he did play rather badly.

"You are rather enjoying yourself," he said reproachfully.

She laughed, still sounding delighted, and then surprised him by lending her voice to his playing. She had to stop after two verses because his playing got worse.

"Sorry, I was getting distracted," he said sheepishly. "But you sing very well."

"Oh that wasn't any good at all; and you've heard Miel perform this very piece so beautifully several times."

"I suppose I have," he said, frowning as if racking his memory.

"In this very room," she added.

He looked at her, puzzled.

She regretted the comment now. She knew this because she had spied on them, but she didn't want to explain that to him right now.

"I learned this piece in Lavigne though," he said. "Adaline tried to teach me with poor results, as you could see," he laughed. He was looking at her again, trying to get some clue about what she was thinking.

It was for the best if he didn't guess her thoughts, though. Isabel had been feeling piqued since Miel admitted that he had been very attentive to her, even though the princess had known this all along. In fact, at that time, Isabel had even thought he might pursue Miel in order to secure his lineage (and that had served to increase her animosity towards him). Now she found herself wondering if it had been his usual kind of insincere attention, or if his attention had been genuine. And if his attentions had been insincere then, how was she to know if his attentions right now weren't also insincere?

"Lady Miel used to practice day and night in here, I recall," he added. "But she's a musician, you shouldn't have to compare your skills to hers." She looked at him, and thought that, well, he seemed like he was being sincere. "Right now, you're the most skilled musician in this room."

Isabel laughed. "I know one Inghet piece," she said shyly, and she proceeded to play it. She didn't know the words very well, so she hummed them with her playing. Andrei made two attempts to provide his voice, but they ended up breaking out into laughter at how badly he carried the tune.

Afterwards, they decided to get back to work, but very soon they found themselves in the library discussing their favorite books.


	13. Chapter 13

**_Trade and Politics_**

 _Trade between the Inghet and the Foret had begun long ago when Inghet explorers had built passes through the mountains. Gradually, roads were built and trade routes were established, and the Inghet, ever the proactive people, always dictated the terms. They traded steel and iron for food, often at a steep price. Often they even sold steel and iron products, because the Foretlands had smithies of low quality._

 _In recent years, the Foret kingdoms had started to gain an advantage in trade as food shortages began to wrack the rapidly expanding Inghet cities, while the agrarian economies enjoyed bountiful harvests. The kingdom of Fier had been especially quick to forge stronger alliances with their Foret neighbors, even hoping to extend some control over their governance. The agrarian kingdoms were weak in defense, and were only too happy to gain more support from Fier in fighting off the bandits; and fortunately, were in much too awe of their Inghet neighbors to raise too many complaints about the fact that they had created the problem in the first place._

* * *

 **Chapter 13**

During the last days of the harvest, the kingdom and the council had many busy days. And then, as the cold started to set in, all activities began to slow down.

Isabel had been very actively engaged during this time, and much more effectively so than in previous years. Much of it was because she and Andrei discussed everything together in great detail, and the fact they were working together did a lot to lend her more credibility with the council. The fact that Lord Francis had effectively retired also helped matters, for he was no longer around to dismiss her ideas from the get-go.

She was rather happy at her progress in learning the ropes of governance, and was eager to display it to her father. Andrei, for his part, told Prince Henri that he gained a lot of useful insight from her, and that she was quite observant and perceptive about which issues needed to be addressed, even if she didn't always know the best way to go about addressing them. Henri would always smile brightly, but Isabel knew that he wasn't entertaining any thoughts of renegotiating the marriage contract.

She thought maybe she should bring it up with Andrei, but she kept thinking it wasn't the right time. Something told her that he wouldn't be too thrilled at the suggestion of relinquishing the sovereignty that had been promised to him.

It was a sensitive topic that they usually avoided discussing. Once during a council meeting, when they were discussing the possibility of bringing guards from Fier to train the local guard, she had made a minor outburst.

The council were rather surprised to learn that the princess had suggested the idea to King Ioan during the Festival. They seemed reluctant at the idea of so many Inghetmen coming to live among them indefinitely, possibly even settle in Jardinia.

"You seem to have no objections having an Inghetman be next in line to be your ruler," she had pointed out rather sharply. The meeting had been rather awkward after that, and Andrei retreated back to his inscrutable expressions and polite diplomacy for some time.

But after the decision to allow the Inghet guards went through, the matter seemed to be forgotten. Lavigne followed suit, and King Ioan seemed especially happy at the proceedings. He came over for a visit one day bringing with him a good quantity of Lavignian wine. He and Andrei took great pleasure consuming a large amount in a single evening, as they discussed politics and occasionally squabbling over who had the greater weakness for wine. Isabel teased the pair of them for having come to the Foretlands solely for the wine, and they laughed very loudly at that. She wondered what they would be like if they got properly drunk, but they probably would not stop talking about politics even then.

Ioan did not let go of the opportunity to reproach Andrei for not having begun negotiations with Ligne and since winter was here, Andrei reluctantly promised to set things in motion as soon as possible.

He grumbled about it later, when he began drafting letters and proposals, and she reminded him firmly that he shouldn't be neglecting his duties to his homeland.

"Why do you sound like Ioan right now?" Andrei complained. "You have no reason to worry about Fier's interests."

"I'm not worried about Fier," she remarked. "I'm only reminding you that you should be." Also, she thought it was a good learning opportunity to observe Andrei's process of setting up negotiations, but she didn't tell him that.

But Andrei knew that anyone else in her position would have been happy to steer him away from his obligations to Fier and have him solely focus on Jardinia. Isabel, however, was known to possess the penchant to remind others of their responsibilities and of the right thing to do. He knew that she wasn't driven by selfish motives the way he was. It made him feel very guilty all over again.

* * *

When winter set in properly, all activity in the kingdom screeched to a halt. People mostly tended to stay indoors to avoid the cold. Andrei was surprised at how daunted the people of the Foretlands were by a little cold. It hardly snowed enough for the land to turn completely white. The Inghetlands were usually buried in snow during winters and he could not understand why so little of it impeded all activity in Jardinia.

Prince Henri had been getting less and less engaged with governing the lands, as he became more excited about the prospect of his retirement. In mid-winter, he made his annual trip south to warmer climates, this time happily entrusting all his responsibilities to Andrei. In previous years, he would leave Lord Francis in charge, though he had always felt uneasy to do so. Isabel usually accompanied him in the past, but this year she stayed back for obvious reasons.

She had welcomed the cold weather because now she could comfortably wear the warm clothes that covered every inch of her body. During the summer months, it was often unbearable to wear garments made from thick material.

Besides managing the negotiations between Fier and Ligne over letters (which proceeded rather slowly due to the reduced pace of the postal system), Andrei had little else to do, and he and Isabel spent most of their time indoors together. They read together, traded opinions on their favorite volumes, disagreed frequently, and generally never ran out of topics of conversation. Isabel had finally shown him her private corner of the library, where she kept all her favorite volumes, but with him there, somehow she was acutely aware of how small the space was and preferred to spend time in other areas of the library. They sometimes even spent time in the conservatory and attempted to produce music despite their lack of expertise with the piano.

He had a knack for convincing Isabel to try things that she would be otherwise reluctant to do. During one cold winter day, one of these was ice-skating when the pond on the palace grounds froze over. But unlike the time she agreed to go riding with him, this time, she was not making any improvement. She could not stand steady by herself had to hold on to him at all times. She could never let herself glide on the ice, she kept trying to walk. It was very frustrating to Andrei, who had grown up on the ice. Every time she wobbled, Andrei would reach out to steady her, and they were both aware that this activity was causing a breach to the contract, but neither of them cared to bring it up right then.

This ended up only being a minor issue, because the highlight of their time on the ice was that Isabel lost her veil. Andrei had pulled her across the ice a little too fast and she was holding on to him, trying desperately not to slip and fall, when she realized he was looking at her rather curiously. And then she realized she was seeing much clearer than usual and then she started to panic and she fell on the ice. Andrei had to guide her back to the shore and retrieve the veil from the middle of the pond before she stopped her whimpers.

"Isabel, it's alright," he said, sitting down next to her on the hard snow, as she put her veil back on. "It's just a bit of fur. I thought there must have been some gruesome disfigurement."

"You don't find the fur gruesome?" she asked incredulously, turning her face toward him.

"Well," he hesitated, bringing his face closer, trying to peer through the veil. "I thought you looked rather like a puppy."

She scoffed and hit him on the shoulder as he burst out laughing. "I meant it in a good way!"

They sat quietly for some time, although Isabel found that her heart still hadn't calmed after the panic attack on the ice.

"You know, I haven't seen your face since my brother's wedding," Andrei said after some time. Isabel was quiet. "I think I've all but forgotten what you used to look like."

"Does it matter?" she finally asked. "Whether you can see my face?"

Andrei shrugged. "It's easier to talk to someone when you can see their eyes. I'm always unsure about what you're thinking."

She nodded and then tilted her head to one side, considering this further. Then with a beating heart, and a feeling that she might regret this later, she slowly removed her veil and looked at him. She felt very self-conscious as he quietly studied her face for some time.

"Stop staring so much, or I'll put the veil back on," she mumbled, dropping her gaze.

"I'm sorry," he grinned. "I was just remembering the last time I saw those eyes, how scornfully they looked at me."

Isabel blushed and kept her head lowered. "Yes, as I recall, the circumstances were rather unpleasant," she said quietly. After some time, she asked, "What did they look like now?"

Andrei considered this for a moment. "I think they looked hopeful," he said finally.

She looked up to meet his gaze. And indeed she felt shivers run down her back as they looked at each other. He looked at her differently now. She couldn't describe exactly how it was different, but it felt like he could really see her now.

He did not have the look of admiration or appraisal that she had received from most young men before the days of the curse. Nor did he have that insincere look of admiration from the days when he was trying to court her. But it was a look that wanted to know her better.

For the first time, they talked about the curse and how it made it her feel.

"I hate that I look like this," she told him, "But I suppose I've come to accept that I will look like a beast the rest of my life."

Andrei shook his head. "You definitely look human." Isabel looked at him incredulously and saw that he was delighted at being able to read her expression. "A very hairy human," he amended. He succeeded in making her laugh at that.

She shook her head. "It's still grotesque," she said. After some hesitation she added that she also had claws, and slowly took her hand out of her gloves. Andrei glanced at them, but maintained a blank expression. He made didn't say anything but she thought he may have shuddered imperceptibly.

"You definitely can't call those human, can you?" she challenged, looking up at him. He warmly met her gaze once again, reading the expression on her face.

"Those do seem disfigured," he conceded. "But even if you wear gloves all the time, do you plan on keeping your veil on forever?"

Isabel nodded. Now being able to see her face, Andrei knew that they had reached the end of the conversation.

He was greatly troubled after that conversation.

However, the episode changed something between them.

To his surprise and delight, Isabel was now comfortable removing her veil in front of him when they were in private. Now, during all those hours they spent together reading, arguing, conversing and attempting to sing, he could see her face and read her expressions. Moreover, she now felt comfortable joining him for meals. It likely removed more of the barriers that had been between them, for now, they seemed to feel much more comfortable discussing personal topics they had avoided before. And they could also now start to learn each other's expressions and they were both surprised how quickly they learned to communicate non-verbally.

Andrei had been learning to read her mood from her body language, but now, being able to see her expressions made the task infinitely easier. She had a rather expressive face. Andrei did recall her vast repertoire of scornful expressions. But now he was learning her expressions of concentration, frustration, irritation, excitement, and his favorite, delight.

He, on the other hand, had schooled the many nuances out of his own expressions, and he found it served him well when people around him couldn't read him. Ioan had been the only one who could guess what he was really thinking. Now he found that Isabel could read him too. What surprised him was how much this delighted him and how easily he dropped his guard around her, and how relaxing it felt to be himself around her.

Isabel sometimes even teased him about the persona he projected for everyone else's benefit and claimed that he was insincere. He tried to explain that he was so used to it that he couldn't seem to shake it off. Nor, did he truthfully want to. To his relief, she didn't mind as long as he continued to be himself around her, and shared his true thoughts with her after council meetings and other official interactions. He also had reason to suspect that she secretly liked the fact that he dropped his facade only in front of her.

He found himself increasingly frustrated by the marriage contract, however. He was all but certain that she didn't think of him as a monster who would force himself on her. She had put in the conditions that he was never to approach her without explicit permission out of anger and spite. And he couldn't blame her anymore for having felt that way, because he had very unfairly taken advantage of her condition.

But now that things were different between them, it was getting increasingly difficult for him not to be close to her. He wanted to ask her about the contract and whether she would be willing to change it and remove those conditions, but that could lead to a discussion about sovereignty that he was keen to avoid. So instead, he contented himself by slowly pushing the boundaries of the contract, and to his delight, she never responded negatively to his touch, and never commented on a breach of contract.

Andrei knew that he was happier now than he had been in months, but he couldn't shake the feeling of uneasiness about the many things that were left unsaid between them.


	14. Chapter 14

**_Travel_**

 _Ligne lay to the east of Jardinia, two days' journey away, on the other side of Lavigne. All three kingdoms had been built along the edge of the Forest, but over time, they had cut and grown into the forest land, such that now their borders were separated by stretches of the Forest. The quickest way to travel was often through the Forest, but those afraid of bandits, or simply superstitious, preferred to go around it._

 _Andrei had needed to travel between the three kingdoms frequently during his time as Fier's ambassador. He always preferred to travel through the Forest, since it saved so much time. And of course, it was through strange encounters in the Forest, that he found himself within an arm's reach of finally achieving his lifelong dream._

* * *

 **Chapter 14**

In late spring, Andrei needed to be present in Ligne to further the negotiations about the trade deal. The council was rather nervous about such a prolonged absence; but Isabel strongly supported his decision to go, convincing the council to reluctantly agree.

They were nervous especially because Isabel's coronation, which was to be held in early summer, was fast approaching. Prince Henri, upon his return from his travels had effectively handed over all duties of conducting court and council to Andrei, and was now focusing only on preparations for the coronation.

Isabel had made it a point to attend court and observe Andrei as he presided. He played the part of the magnanimous ruler very well, taking care to carefully listen to each appeal and making the appellants feel very valued. This was in stark contrast to her father, who had clearly displayed his impatience at the appeals.

However, in Isabel's opinion, even if he made the appearance of caring, Andrei was impatient too, and was very quick to make his rulings. The most irritating part was that most appellants seemed rather content at the end, and wouldn't insist that all options had not been explored.

Isabel had later told Andrei, "You know you put much more energy into appearing like you cared, and less into considering all the ways to resolve the issues."

He had laughed and pointed out that at least everyone seemed to leave the court happy. Even Isabel had to admit that most of the appeals were petty and could be resolved without involving the court, but she on the other hand very much enjoyed the opportunity to tell the appellants so bluntly and force them to resolve the issue in front of her. This had usually left neither party particularly happy, and her father had objected to her methods very much.

Andrei, however, had been amenable to let her take over, and also greatly enjoyed observing her. This time, she made a better impression because she listened to the appeals as carefully as Andrei had, but she persisted in being strict about making the appellants consider all options and take responsibility for their actions. They were less happy with the result, but Andrei agreed it might be better for them in the long run.

So when he had left, he had also provided his vote of confidence letting Isabel take charge. She worked very hard during this time to become ready to prove her competence to the council, and to convince her father that she should retain sovereignty.

She had made significant progress working on her plans for improving education in Jardinia over the previous weeks. She had been in correspondence with all the governors and the schools in their region, giving them explicit instructions for changes in curriculum, channeling funds where necessary, and receiving regular reports on the progress. Now in Andrei's absence, she took the opportunity to make several recommendations for further improvements that she thought he might think a step too far; but to her delight, she found the governors were willing to attempt her suggestions.

However, as soon as Andrei had left, she found herself regretting her decision to support his departure. She had not thought she would feel his absence so acutely. During the hours spent in governance, with most decisions, she found herself wishing she could discuss with him first. During hours spent outside governance, she sorely missed his company.

To that end she was delighted to receive a letter from him on the third day of his absence, addressed to "my dearest Isabel", and detailing his time there. She lost no time in responding, being careful to write in her best flowing script to contrast with his quick scrawl. She wrote about how she fared at court, and that she had started to wish she could discard the veil because it might be easier to interact with her subjects if they could see her face. Given their previous experiences with her at court, they were probably under the impression that she was still frowning at them. When he wrote back, he had made an effort to improve his script, and it delighted Isabel further to see that it was now addressed simply to "Dearest".

* * *

Isabel had barely visited the garden over the past few weeks, preferring to spend her time indoors next the warm fires with Andrei, but the gardeners had not stopped working. They worked through the winter, albeit with a smaller workload, but they needed to tend to the few winter blooms, and protect the plants from the few instances of snowfall. But with spring, they were all back to working hard.

Ever since the Festival, Isabel had stopped spending time shut up in her chambers, which had given Lisette more free time. During this time, she had taken to visiting the gardens by herself, and she kept Isabel abreast of all the developments there. She had also apparently rediscovered her interest in gardening. Before she had married, she had maintained the garden in her father's house. Towards the end of winter, Isabel had encouraged her to take it up again and asked Christien to allot her some space and assign someone to help her.

Isabel noticed that Lisette had spent a lot of time with Christien, but the girl made no indication of whether she felt any differently about him. She certainly took great pleasure in recounting to Isabel how distraught he had been all winter upon realizing that Prince Andrei had indeed been successful in winning the princess over. Isabel scoffed at her words, but she freely admitted that they were true.

In the few instances she had seen Christien, he had not seemed particularly distraught; although he hadn't seemed particularly happy having Andrei in the gardens. The other gardeners were very honored by his presence when he visited along with the princess. He had of course been polite and civil, although Isabel could tell that he had not taken a shine to Christien either.

Nevertheless, Isabel was certain that Christien had let go off his passing fancy by now. It was no secret that she no longer objected to her marriage, for it must have been very obvious that she preferred Andrei's company to anyone else's. However, she knew that gossipmongers had many speculations regarding the fact that they were yet to share their bed, so the marriage was not viewed as one that was properly consummated. This suited Isabel just fine, for she was not sure that she was quite ready for a proper marriage.

For one thing, she didn't know if he wished to break the ice regarding physical intimacy. Till now, she had been quite relieved by it, but now she couldn't help but wonder if he kept his distance because of the contract that forbid him to approach her without explicit permission, or whether it was because after having seen her unveiled, he was only pretending he was not repulsed by her appearance. He had been making small breaches of the contract when he sat very close to her, or took her gloved hands in his; and he had certainly been in very close proximity when trying to steady her during ice skating. But they had not moved beyond the contact that couples made when they were courting. Isabel could not tell whether Andrei would ever want to take her in his arms... or kiss her.

But there were greater concerns on her mind regarding their marriage contract, for she was still trying to decide how to tell Andrei she wanted to retain sovereignty after coronation. Because they spoke of this topic very little, it was very difficult for her to know how he would react to it. His recent behavior was proof that he was would welcoming her involvement in governance, but he might not agree to give up the sovereignty. "But it's my birthright," she would tell herself. "But I had consented to passing it on to him," she would then remind herself. She had been composing a speech to him in her mind for several days now, but she could not quite get it right.

* * *

Lisette watered her plants and smiled at the buds from which petals had started to peek. She was proud of her work.

"You were born to be a gardener, Miss," young Jacques remarked from behind her.

Lisette turned around and smiled at the young apprentice.

"I used to tend the plants in my father's house from a very young age," she reminisced fondly. "Though he always insisted I grow vegetables instead of flowering trees."

"Is her highness going let you become a gardener?" Jacques wondered hopefully.

Lisette laughed. "No, I have to still remain her handmaiden, but she has allowed me to tend to my own garden in my spare time."

"Her highness is very fond of you," remarked Jacques.

Lisette laughed again and ruffled his hair, which he resented. He was a young man now, and Lisette treated him like a child. But he had been anxious to be nice to her. On his first week as apprentice, the princess's handmaiden had come to tend to her patch in the garden. He had been unprepared for the large burn mark on her face, and had reacted badly. His employer had been very angry with him, and Jacques had hung his head while he was berated. He had apologized shame-facedly to Lisette, but she had smiled widely and forgiven him immediately. But now Jacques rather liked her bright presence in the gardens and found that the more he saw her, the less he noticed her scar. Though he hoped she would stop seeing him as only a child.

But then he heard his employer approaching and he quickly excused himself and went back to work.

"Good morning," Lisette greeted the head gardener, beaming. She was always full of boundless cheerfulness and all the gardeners were very fond of her.

Christien smiled and returned her greeting and bent down to examine her plants, complimenting her work.

"Jacques was suggesting I should join your employ," she chuckled.

"Hmm, I don't have any openings, but if you really want to, I could ask him if he would like to be replaced," he joked loud enough for the apprentice to hear. Jacques looked up in concern, but the pair of them laughed and his employer waved him to go back to work.

"How are things at the palace?" he inquired as he walked back with her.

Lisette shrugged. The princess kept herself busy while Prince Andrei was away, but Lisette could tell she felt rather glum in his absence, but she didn't care to tell Christien this. She had been so certain that the princess would find happiness if only she had given Christien a chance, that it took her completely by surprise to see her slowly falling in love with the man she had hated instead. She knew that Christien was aware of these developments, but she was also puzzled that his heart didn't seem to be broken.

"The princess keeps busy with books and meetings these days," she said in response to his question. "She keeps making me read a lot, so frankly it was a relief when she allowed me to take up gardening instead," she laughed.

Christien laughed with her. "Ah yes," he said. "Last time I saw her, she inquired after my reading progress of the many books she had recommended. My answer did not seem to please her."

They stood at the edge of the garden and laughed together for some time. The princess's insistence on reading had become a bit of a private joke between them.

"Did Prince Andrei like the garden when he visited?" Lisette inquired, trying to gauge Christien's feelings towards him.

Sure enough, his expression soured a little. "I can't say that he did. I don't think he cares for flowers. He only pretended to like the garden for her highness's sake."

"Hmm," she said thoughtfully. He glanced sideways at her, trying to discern what she was thinking.

"Lisette," he said, taking a step towards her, but she seemed to wake from her reverie and muttered something about needing to get back and walked off abruptly. Christien looked after her, puzzled. He turned around and noticed Jacques was watching them.

"Get back to work," he scowled.


	15. Chapter 15

**_The Fairy_**

" _I wish to have the curse removed."_

" _I owe you no more favors," replied the fairy coolly._

" _You didn't curse her as a favor to me; you would have cursed her anyways and needed an excuse."_

" _That may be true, my prince, but do not forget that you never objected to it outright. You could have chosen not to avail this opportunity. Did you ever consider it?"_

 _She was not wrong. Ambition had driven him to ignore the voice in his head that warned him he should not play into the fairy's schemes._

" _I was wrong," he admitted. "I was wrong about Isabel. I had thought her a wretched creature who did not deserve to be ruler, and that I was better suited for the job." The words sounded abominable as he confessed them out loud. "I should have had more sympathy for her," he continued, "and I should have tried to help her."_

" _Why such concern now?"_

" _She is unhappy. The curse makes her unhappy."_

 _The fairy scoffed._

" _With the curse lifted, do you think she would surrender her kingdom to you?"_

 _He was silent now, unsure of himself._

" _Besides, I do not have the power to reverse it. I cast the curse with the purpose of granting your heart's desire. If you wish to break the curse, you have to give it up."_

" _I can't give up Jardinia!" Andrei shook his head vigorously. "I have worked all my life to achieve this."_

" _Then go back to your wife and keep her safe. Don't let her come near the Forest."_

* * *

 **Chapter 15**

Isabel began to feel rather impatient for Andrei's return. "It is only for a fortnight," she scolded herself, but nonetheless, towards the end of it, she had begun to count the hours till his return. When she saw his carriage pull up through the window several hours before she was expecting it, she felt her heart jolt with excitement.

She almost ran to the palace entrance, slowing down to an appropriately graceful walk every time she thought she might run into someone. She ran into Andrei in an empty hallway; he was making his way down rather briskly. His face broke into a joyful smile and he walked to her even faster. But Isabel curtsied formally.

"We weren't expecting you until this evening," she said.

"I was impatient to get back," he replied, walking up to her, very slowly closing the gap. He was being mindful of the contract.

She really hated the contract right then. Without letting herself think about it, she rushed forward and buried her face in his chest. She could tell he was shocked from the way he froze. Cursing her impulsiveness, she quickly made to pull away, but then he felt his arms drawing her close, and she gasped inaudibly as she realized she was pressed against him very tightly.

She felt giddy and she closed her eyes and listened to his heartbeat. Its steady rhythm calmed her. She couldn't see the troubled expression that touched his face for a split second before he looked down at her tenderly.

"I missed you," Andrei whispered in her ear.

"I missed you too," she whispered back shyly.

"Have I breached the contract?" he asked, but his tone sounded mischievous. "Shall I be punished, your highness?"

She made no move to leave his arms. And she hoped he couldn't feel how fast her own heart was hammering. Then she finally said, "I have a large stack of paperwork waiting for you."

* * *

It was true that there was a great deal of paperwork he needed to address, but neither of them wanted to get to work right after their long separation. Nonetheless, when they took a stroll about the lake, he told her all the details of the negotiations, perhaps giving away a bit too much of Fier's internal politics; and she told him about her progress in court. In the afternoon, she agreed to go riding with him.

They had gone riding together several times over the course of the spring, but her technique had improved only slightly. Andrei, however, had greatly improved his tact when correcting her technique, such that she did not get as irritable when he did.

It would have been a very pleasant ride that evening if not for the fact that Isabel developed a sudden need to ride towards the Forest.

"But you don't even like the Forest," said Andrei quickly. "Let's head back home."

"No," she snapped and increased her pace.

"Isabel, stop," he said, riding next to her. "Don't go that way." He rode in front of her, blocking her way.

She made a frustrated noise and it sounded like she couldn't find the right words and made to go around him.

But Andrei reached out to grab her reins and pulled her filly back. She began to whimper.

"Isabel, love, what has gotten into you?" he asked, an edge of panic to his voice. He dismounted and pulled her down from her filly. She struggled a little bit, but then collapsed on him, still whimpering.

"You're not well," he said, worried. "Let's get you home." He helped her up onto his gelding and climbed up behind her.

"Hold on to me," he said. He held the reins of his own horse in one hand and hers in the other.

She didn't speak much when they returned to the palace, and she retired early that evening. Andrei was very disturbed and lay awake all night, worrying if something had gone horribly wrong.

However the next morning she seemed to be alright, though she remained sullen and irritable and did not wish to talk about what had happened. Almost as if they were back to the times of their early days of working together, Andrei found himself behaving gingerly around her.


	16. Chapter 16

**_The Forest_**

" _You let her come near the Forest?" The fairy was incredulous. "It was the one instruction I gave you."_

" _I didn't," he replied indignantly. "I stopped her before she got close. But she has been acting rather strange."_

" _Well you should hasten to secure your throne and your succession," she commented. He glared at her._

" _I called upon the Forest's power to cast the spell," she explained. "If she enters the Forest, it may claim her as its creature."_

" _What does that mean?" he asked, aghast._

" _It means you will lose her to the Forest," she replied pointedly. "It's a pity you had to go and fall in love with her. Secure your succession while you still have the time," she added scornfully. "Or give up your heart's desire."_

 _Andrei looked grim._

* * *

 **Chapter 16**

Isabel had crafted an elaborate plan of how to appeal to her father to begin renegotiation of the marriage contract. Her coronation was only two weeks away, and her time was running out. But her head felt muddled these days, and it took very little to set off her temper.

She had not seen a great deal of her father since he returned from his trip, rested and happy and seeming to already be in retirement. He would nod happily every time she tried to appraise him of her progress, but have no further discussion about it. The only time they conversed, it usually was regarding preparations for the coronation.

This time, having made her resolve, she went to see her father in his study. After he greeted her, she removed her veil. This likely surprised him, because he had only seen her unveiled when he visited her in her chambers during the early days of the curse, but he did not comment on it. She felt he needed to see her face for this conversation.

"It seems you and Andrei have been getting along splendidly!" he observed for about the tenth time since he returned. To her, he sounded smug. She scowled, but she nodded.

"Come now, my daughter. Why the long face? Surely you do not object to him any longer?"

She thought it would be best to get to the point.

"I wish to renegotiate the contract."

"How so?" the regent frowned. He had a feeling the conversation was going to go somewhere unpleasant.

"I wish to retain sovereignty upon coronation."

Prince Henri sighed. "I think it may be too late for that," he said.

"But couldn't we even discuss it with him?"

"My darling, please lower your voice," he asked gently. He knew the rest would not be pleasant for her to hear, so he tried to be gentle as he could. "You know he married you solely because he wished to be king. If we renege on that agreement, he may choose to dissolve the marriage; and it would reflect very poorly on us."

"You don't know that," Isabel cried, her voice breaking. "And it's my birthright."

"I'm sorry," he said, resting his hand on hers. "But I am sure he would be willing to share governance duties with you. And," he hesitated. "You can be happy together." When she didn't respond, he went on, "Although, it may be wise to amend the contract to remove the portion that he cannot approach you for heirs."

However, upon hearing this, Isabel roughly stood up. Blinking away the tears that stung her eye, she donned her veil and stalked off. She slammed the door of his study shut with unnecessary force. Her father shook his head exasperatedly.

* * *

She found Andrei standing by the library window, absently looking out into the rose garden. When she gently touched his shoulder, he started, but he turned around and smiled at her.

"Sorry, I was lost in thought," he said.

"Are you alright?" she inquired, momentarily forgetting why she came to find him. "You seem troubled."

"It's nothing," he said quickly, and turned his attention to her. "But you seem tense as well." He lightly placed a hand on the small of her back and led to the sofa.

She was quiet at first. And then she took her time taking off her veil, folding it, and then twisting it in her hand. Her eyes had grown wide, like they did when she was nervous and wanted to convince him of something.

Andrei frowned. "Dearest, what's wrong?" he asked, taking her hand. Isabel had noticed that whenever he took her hand, he was careful to avoid her claws.

She took a deep breath and began talking. She started reciting the speech she had been preparing in her head for so long. It still didn't feel right. She wanted to be very thorough, so she started at the beginning. When she explained why she had agreed to marry him, she tried to be honest about how she had felt, but she sounded so unfeeling. She tried to explain that she understood how much he had wished to be king, but she had had those same dreams too, and it had been her birthright, but she sounded so entitled. She desperately tried to explain how much she needed him and how his mentoring of her these past few months had transformed her, but she just did not sound heartfelt enough. Why else was his grip on her hand slackening and his face assuming a mask of neutrality? Isabel had the distinct feeling of lead filling up her gut. Her father had been right. She was wrong to hope he cared enough to do this for her.

"Can you give me two days?" was all he said.

"Alright," she said slowly as if in a stranger's voice. She walked back to her sleeping chamber, her veil forgotten. She thought she could feel her heart breaking.


	17. Chapter 17

**_Bar Fight_**

 _A drunk obnoxious gentleman was yelling rather lewd obscenities. Christien immediately regretted bringing Jacques with him. It was not the best scenario to experience with one's apprentice. Even worse, Christien recognized this loathsome fellow as Lisette's former husband. He was saying such misanthropic things about his current wife, Christien shuddered to think what Lisette's life had been like with him._

 _Even as he and Jacques were leaving the pub, he started telling his already passed-out friends about his ugly former wife, whom he had dropped as soon as she turned hideous after a fire. Jacques immediately turned around, his eyes as big as saucers. Christien reached out to restrain his apprentice, but the lad had already walked up to the man and demanded to know of whom he spoke. It went downhill from there._

* * *

 **Chapter 17**

Isabel stayed shut up in her chamber for many hours. She alternated between crying and tearing her pillows in frustration. Eventually she let Lisette come in, coax her into taking a hot bath, dress her in something comfortable, and then lead her to the princess's sitting room. She even brought caramel pudding from the kitchens to try to cheer her up.

She let Isabel pour her heart out and she vehemently vilified Prince Andrei, but it did not help to cheer the princess up. In the end, Lisette sighed and said, "I know what it's like to think someone cares for you and then find out that they never meant it."

This time, Isabel responded. She asked whether Lisette would tell her more about her story.

Lisette looked down. "There's not much to say except that I was young and foolish. He said the sweetest things and he just swept me off my feet. I'd known him barely two weeks before I agreed to marry him." She sighed. "I've already told you about the fire and what happened afterwards."

Isabel gingerly placed her hand on top of Lisette's. The girl looked up and smiled and squeezed her hand, claws and all.

"I wish you had met someone like Christien before you met that wretch," she said.

Lisette was startled by the comment. "But why would Christien even look at me? He has been besotted with you for years. Besides, I am fortunate I ended up here where you give me so much freedom, and no one cares about my appearance."

Isabel groaned. "Lisette, I am sure Christien harbors no foolish hopes with regards to me. And you are close friends," she insisted. Suddenly, it felt very important to Isabel to make a match between the two of them. If her own didn't work, she wanted Lisette and Christien to find love.

"He has been most sincere in his affections," Lisette insisted. "Your highness," said Lisette timidly, "Perhaps, if the love of a prince is not enough to break your curse, maybe the love of a simple gardener might be."

Isabel stared at her incredulously. Before she had the chance to respond, both girls jumped when they heard someone clear their throat. Prince Andrei was standing at the entrance.

"I came to see if you were alright," he said cautiously, not making eye contact. He wore a neutral disinterested face, but Isabel could tell that there was something that was annoying him greatly. How long had he been standing there?

"I'm fine, thank you," said Isabel coolly.

"I also wanted to mention that I'm going to Lavigne tonight," he said.

"Alright," she said in the same tone, and then remained silent.

He made to say something else, but then changed his mind and left.

* * *

Isabel desperately wanted distraction from her thoughts about how to respond to Andrei when he officially refused her request. This led her to decide to keep pursuing the idea of a match between Lisette and Christien.

She found Christien in the garden and went over to greet him.

"Is that a black eye?" she asked sharply as soon he looked up at her. He assured her it was nothing and mumbled something about a misunderstanding at the pub. Isabel wasn't particularly interested to hear more, so she directly asked him what he thought of Lisette. Christien jumped and looked at her shocked. He quickly gathered himself and replied that she was very pleasant and he enjoyed her company and then changed the topic to a new variety of roses he had acquired.

Isabel looked up at the palace. The view from the library directly overlooked the entrance to the garden, and sure enough Andrei was standing there. She scowled in his direction from underneath her veil. Why hadn't he left for Lavigne already instead of standing by the window and brooding?

She started to walk away from the garden, and a confused Christien followed her.

"I had the impression you got along very well with her," she remarked to him, determined to keep the conversation on Lisette.

He seemed to get a little uncomfortable. "I – yes, Princess."

"And I have noticed that you have spent much time in her company recently," she added.

"You highness, I assure you, I have no untoward intentions," he declared.

Isabel sighed in frustration. "I mean to ask if you care for her."

He hesitated. "I shouldn't think of her in that way. She used to be married."

Isabel was incredulous. "What does that matter? She is no longer married."

Christien looked like he regretted his words. "It's hard to explain, Princess. It's different among the nobility and royalty. Among people like us, women cannot remarry."

"That is such utter nonsense," Isabel snapped. "There is no such law."

"I'm not trying to argue with you, Princess," Christien entreated. "Only explaining that our communities have built their own customs."

Isabel made a frustrated noise. "I AM going to be queen and then I will knock sense into every individual head in my kingdom if I have to," she declared. Christien looked positively alarmed.

Remembering Christien was still there, she turned to him and said, "Lisette may not be among the nobility, but she is my handmaiden, and I declare her eligible for marriage."

Christien was silent and then he realized she was waiting for him to respond. Finally he said, "Your highness, if you are asking me to marry her, you should know I am simply not ready to think about starting a family yet. And Lisette has already had her heart broken by a swine at a tender age, and I wouldn't want to give her any false hope."

He didn't know how she was reacting to this. For all he knew, she could be staring daggers at him right now.

"Besides," he added. "If you speak with Lisette, I believe you'll find she has closed herself to the possibility of love." He may have even sounded a little bit bitter. "I believe she is letting her broken heart and her disfigurement hold her back."

This time Isabel laughed bitterly.

"You said you never saw me that night, when I was cursed," she commented.

Christien held his breath and shook his head.

Isabel cocked her head and thought. There was no one around. She lifted her veil, watching him with a hard expression as he gasped and stared wordlessly at her in disbelief.

"I believe it is much worse than hers, don't you think?" she asked him, letting the veil fall back in place.

"But your curse may yet be broken, Princess," he said, trying to say something reassuring.

"I've given up hope for that months ago, Christien," she said. "I am not going to let my disfigurement hold me back, and I won't let Lisette's hold her back either."

Not knowing what else to say, Christien smiled at her. "You are a true friend, Princess."

Then she walked back to the palace, muttering something that sounded like "All men are swine" under her breath.

* * *

Christien stood there for a long time, reeling from the shock of the revelation. He looked up at the palace windows and thought he caught a glimpse of Prince Andrei walking away. He wondered if the prince had been spying on them. He knew that the prince did not like him, and he probably did not trust him around the princess.

Christien had never attempted to hide how enamored he was of the princess. Before the curse, she had been beautiful, graceful, regal and such a confusing mystery. He had craved her attention, even if all he got was her scorn.

However, the princess he came to know after the curse was quite different. She used to come to the garden to seek solace and was subdued and somber. She made a sincere effort to be nice to him and the other gardeners, and he had grown to genuinely respect her and think of her a friend.

He had never expected to win her love, but he had vowed to remain sincere in his affections. And this could be why Prince Andrei had taken a dislike to him, though he hid it well. The few times he had visited the garden, he had attempted to engage Christien in conversation about the vineyards of Lavigne, which he knew was a topic that interested the gardener.

Christien knew that Prince Andrei made it evident for everyone to see that he cared for the princess. He wondered now if he was aware of the extent of her disfigurement and if it bothered him. But Isabel had often complained about his big ambitions on her during her strolls in the garden months ago, so maybe it didn't matter to him as long as he could be king. He didn't know if Prince Andrei would ever come to love her like he did, but royalty never understood love in that way. They only looked for love where it was convenient for them.

What did it matter, though, if Isabel was happy? And the princess certainly had seemed happy over the past few weeks.

The conversation about Lisette did make him deeply uncomfortable, though. He had in fact wondered recently if he cared for her. He enjoyed her company and he looked forward to her visits to the garden. He barely ever noticed her scars and he had grown wary of Jacque's attention. But Lisette had stubbornly shown no interest.

Christien wondered if he would want to consider her when it was time for him to settle down, but he had his qualms about pursuing a previously married woman. Perhaps the princess was right; maybe it was small-minded of him.


	18. Chapter 18

**_Lavigne_**

 _Ioan finished reading the newly drafted contract._

" _Not your best work," he commented._

" _Well, I've been rather distressed," replied his brother._

" _At any rate, I'm glad you came to me, instead of going to Prince Henri. He wouldn't have been able to help draft a contract that would keep Fier's interests intact."_

" _He wouldn't understand," said Andrei. Ioan wasn't sure what he meant, but he supposed he was referring to all the angst he seemed to be feeling at the moment._

" _Do you think I'm making the right decision?" he asked for the hundredth time._

" _Andrei, this is the first time I've ever seen you put someone else's interest before your own. And I think that's a good thing. Given that it doesn't affect Fier or Lavigne negatively, you have my support." Andrei thought his brother sounded rather pompous._

" _And stop worrying about whether she will speak to you again. She'll be very happy when she sees you've honored her request."_

" _But she'll never love me if she knows what I've done," he said glumly._

" _And what is that exactly?" asked his brother._

" _Nothing," he said quickly. He couldn't risk letting Ioan find out about his involvement with the fairy._

 _His thoughts turned to how quickly she had sought out her gardener friend after she became mad at him, and the thought made him scowl._

* * *

 **Chapter 18**

Isabel spent a great deal of time contemplating her next steps. She would be creating a lot of unrest, but she would convene the council and demand to have her sovereignty and her birthright. She would dissolve her marriage if she had to. In fact, she definitely would demand the marriage be dissolved. She could never love Andrei. How could she love a man who cared more for her kingdom than he did for her?

Lisette had informed her that he had returned from Lavigne and had gone to meet with her father. She didn't particularly want to see either of them, so she remained in her chambers. Then she heard that Christien had come to see her. She received him in her sitting room, wondering if maybe he had decided to pursue Lisette after all.

"Good afternoon, Princess," he said. "I wished to speak to you about something." She nodded for him to continue. "I don't know if you recall that I've often wished to visit the vineyards of Lavigne. It seems Prince Andrei managed to secure me a temporary position for five weeks to work there and gain a new experience. I've come to ask whether you'd offer me leave."

"What?" Isabel sounded confused. There was an awkward silence during which she felt her anger building up. Andrei was purposefully sending him away. What was he trying to do? Get rid of her friends?

"Princess?" asked Christien uncertainly.

"Yes, sure, you may take five weeks," she said distractedly as she prepared to leave. "Now if you'll excuse me," she said as she walked past Lisette. A small part of her brain registered Lisette looking at him disbelievingly and confronting him, but she was going to worry about that later.

She burst into Prince Henri's study, where she found the two men looking over some paperwork.

"What is wrong with you Andrei?" she demanded without a preamble.

"Now Isabel, what is this?" began her father, but she ignored him. Andrei stood up immediately, and reached out a hand to her, but she pulled away.

"Are you really so cruel that you wish to send away my friends after I made a request you didn't like?"

"Dearest, let me explain," he pleaded.

"Isabel," scolded her father, raising his voice. "You're being extremely unfair to him without even knowing his deci-"

To their immense surprise Isabel began to throw a tantrum, stomping her feet and screaming in frustration. And then suddenly she became rather feral and started to growl. This shocked all of them, Isabel included. She struggled to compose herself and then ran out of the room. She ran down the hallway till she found a small parlor that used to be her nursery many years ago. She shut the door, threw off her hat and veil and climbed into the window seat and drew the curtains shut. She used to hide there as a child from her governess, but now she sat there clutching her knees, her shoulders shaking with sobs.

She heard the door open.

"Isabel." It was Andrei. She tried to be quiet unsuccessfully; he located her easily and drew back the curtains.

"Go away," she screamed. "I might hurt you."

"No you won't," he assured her, getting down on his knees and gripping both her hands.

"I'm really sorry, dearest," he said gently. "You're right; I wanted to send him away. I was jealous and I acted very foolishly and selfishly."

She looked up in surprise at his blunt honesty. "I hope you can forgive me," he beseeched, gripping her hands tighter. His hands were over her claws, but he made no indication that he could feel them.

She tried to say something but instead burst out in tears again.

"I'm so sorry," he said again softly, reaching up with both hands to wipe her tears. She put her hands on his wrists.

"I am so ashamed of what happened in there," she whispered. "I don't know why I can't control my temper anymore. When I was first cursed, this happened the first few days, but then I'd learned to control it. But the past few days, I have been having these outbursts and it feels like there's some kind of beast inside me, and I'm afraid I can't stop it." She wasn't even trying anymore to stymie her shaking sobs.

Andrei looked pained. He climbed onto the seat beside her and drew her to him in a tight embrace. She took in a sharp breath, but then nestled against him, resting her head on his shoulder. She felt the tension slowly drain from her body. "I'm sorry; I'm so sorry," he was whispering into her hair.

"It's not your fault that this happened to me," she murmured.

Andrei made a bitter sound and held her even tighter. "I'm going to make everything alright," he said, kissing the top of her head. She closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat, her anger against him forgotten. She didn't want to think about fighting him for sovereignty right now. She wanted to stay like this in his arms and believe his promise to make everything alright.

"Dearest," he said after some time. "I went to see Ioan so he could help me draw up a new contract; and I was just showing it to your father." She snapped open her eyes and listened carefully. "Upon your coronation, you will retain sovereignty, and I wish to take the position of your chief adviser and have the power to act on your behalf when necessary."

She sat up straight and looked at him in surprise. "I thought you were going to refuse!"

Now he smiled sweetly. "This is the one thing you've always wanted. How could I refuse?"

"But then why have you been angry?"

Andrei shook his head. "I wasn't angry, but I was very conflicted," he explained. "Perhaps it shouldn't have been, but it was an extremely difficult decision for me to give up the chance to be king. But like you said, you also dreamed of being ruler, and I was taking away your birthright, rather unfairly if I may add. Besides, I'm confident you would be a great ruler. You care about your kingdom in a way I never could."

"And you really won't leave?" She was looking at him intently, her eyes wide with earnestness, which made his heart clench.

Andrei laughed softly and pulled her close. "I can't even imagine leaving," he said. She threw her arms around his neck and found that fresh tears were coming. There was so much she wanted to say, but all she could manage was "Thank you." He wrapped his arms tightly around her and held her for a long time, and then said, "Shall we go look at the contract now?"

Isabel smiled and nodded.

* * *

Prince Henri was not very surprised when Isabel and Andrei came back to his sitting room hand in hand. Why Isabel had lost her temper so violently, he didn't know, but he had been certain she would be overjoyed once she learned about the new contract. Indeed, Isabel looked radiant, though he could see that her face was tear-stricken from the damp fur on her cheeks.

However, he had been extremely surprised when Andrei came to him with the contract. He read through the entire contract, finding very few objections, but much too shocked to actually raise them. But if this was what Andrei truly wanted, he was not going to negotiate minor political details. Henri could tell this was a difficult decision for him. Even now the young prince looked more apprehensive than happy. He must really love Isabel, thought the regent in wonder. He had always known that Andrei's interest in his daughter were for political reasons; and he had assumed that his recent attempt to charm her had been in the hopes of securing heirs; but he had not expected Andrei had truly fallen in love with her.

Isabel was barely listening to what her father was saying about gratitude and responsibility as she signed the new contract. She noticed that Ioan and her father had both already signed as witnesses, so this was real, and not a trick. After Andrei signed, he smiled and looked at her intently. She wanted to move closer to him, but felt uncomfortable doing so in front of her father. She thought she caught a fleeting look of confusion on his face, but it was gone so quickly she thought she must have imagined it. After a moment of awkward silence, Prince Henri cleared his throat.

"Well it seems the both of you are both happy with our new arrangement, and I hope there will be no further complications regarding the succession," he said. "The council will also wish for you to report to them when you have sealed your marriage; before the coronation would make matters simpler," he muttered uncomfortably while looking down at the paperwork and pretending to be busy with it. Isabel scowled and was about to retort that the council should not intrude into her private matters, but she felt Andrei squeeze her hand.

"We should be going now," he responded quickly. "Thank you so much for taking the time."

"It was my sincerest pleasure," Henri replied earnestly. But he could tell that the two of them really wanted to spend some time alone together.

Isabel donned her veil and followed Andrei out of the sitting room, taking his hand. Once out of earshot, he gently nudged her head with his nose.

"Relax, we don't have to 'seal our marriage' right now," he chuckled. Isabel let out an unintentional snort. Now between the two of them, it seemed rather funny.

"He's so worried about the succession that sometimes I don't know if he realizes what he's talking about," she groaned.

"To be honest, I have also been thinking about it a lot," he said a little sheepishly. This time Isabel blushed. Now that the topic had been broached, it had to be discussed.

"We should talk," she said. "Would you like to go out to the grounds? I believe there should be no one about at this time of the night." He nodded and they made their way over to the pond and sat down on the bank. It was a tad chilly that evening, but Isabel soon forgot about that as he drew an arm around her shoulders and warmth radiated through her body. She had noticed how eager he was in his familiarity now that the old contract was out of the way, and it made her feel strangely excited.

It was peaceful by the pond. It felt good to be out here with Andrei. And it felt like the perfect time to talk.

"What did you want to talk about?" He smiled.

"Our future," she began uncertainly.

"And which aspect of our future would you like to discuss?" He asked. There was a teasing edge to his voice and he tugged her veil with his free hand. She caught it in hers and moved it away. She preferred to keep it on for a little while longer.

"Heirs," she replied finally, looking out straight at the reflection of the half-moon on the water.

Andrei smiled. "Would you like some of your own, or do you still wish to pass the throne to your cousin?"

"I-" she began, but she didn't really know what to say. She looked up at him, and he was looking at her seriously now. She sighed and took off her veil. If they were to have a serious conversation, it wouldn't do to feel so shy.

"I suppose I always avoided thinking about this topic," she began again. "Even before the curse. I suppose I would want children of my own, it's just the… unpleasantness… that I would have to go through that I didn't wish to think about."

Andrei was frowning. "Do you mean childbirth?"

"Among other things," she responded slowly. Realizing, he wasn't fully grasping her meaning, she sighed and attempted to be forthright. "I haven't ever felt comfortable with the idea of sharing my bed with a man," she mumbled.

Andrei gaped at her for a moment and then burst out laughing. "Do you really think it would be that unpleasant?"

"I don't know," she wailed, hiding her face, feeling thoroughly embarrassed. "I've never wanted to try it. I've only ever heard my attendants giggle about their strange fantasies involving men they fancied, and it only ever made me feel so uncomfortable. I had to order them never to discuss their private matters in my presence, and they all thought I was so strange."

Andrei thought it was indeed one of the strangest conversations he had ever had.

"Well," he said, running a hand through his hair, trying to think of something to say. "I had rather thought your animal instincts might have been stronger there." Now Isabel gaped at him rather widely, and he hoped the joke hadn't gone too far, but then she started to laugh.

"I think my beast side might actually be more interested than my human side," she said in between her laughter.

"Is that so?"

"Well, until very recently I had been rather good at suppressing my beast side," she sighed, growing a little somber. Andrei smiled.

"Then it might work out in my favor after all," he said pressing his face into her hair. Isabel squirmed, and pushed his face away.

"Would you want to?" she asked him pointedly.

"What do you mean?" he asked, puzzled.

She made a bitter noise and shrugged. "I'm covered in fur, Andrei. Aren't you repulsed by me?"

"Well," he hesitated. This would not be a good time to mention that he was hoping the curse would be lifted by the morning.

"You know I can tell when you're lying." She nudged him lightly with her elbow. Her tone was playful, nonetheless he proceeded with caution.

"You see through me even better than Ioan can. So tell me: have I ever seemed repulsed by you?"

She smiled. "No, but it's one thing to look at me and another to-" She couldn't quite finish her thought; she seemed quite embarrassed by it.

Andrei wasn't sure what to say. "Well," he stammered, "I have wanted to kiss you for a very long time." She froze and stared at him wide-eyed.

"I've never kissed anyone before," she whispered.

"I'm not surprised. I have noticed how much you scare all the young men," he teased. She shoved him hard enough that he lost his balance, but then they both fell about laughing.

Then, gathering up her courage, she took a deep breath and said, "I think...I think I have wanted to kiss you too." Nervously, she looked up to meet his eyes. He was looking at her intently, and she couldn't really place the emotion in his face; then he slowly smiled.

"May I?" he asked, putting his arms around her again.

Her heart hammering, Isabel nodded.

It was a soft butterfly kiss that lasted only a moment, but Isabel still felt that her heart had stopped beating the moment his lips had touched hers, and all the breath had left her body.

"Isabel?" he asked softly.

"Hmm?"

"Do you feel comfortable around me?" He was asking her earnestly.

"Yes." She was surprised at her own lack of hesitation.

His warm smile brought back the now familiar strange sensations in her stomach.

"Then shall we give it some time until you feel ready?"

She matched his smile and nodded.

"And will you be my wife now?"

"What have I been these past few months?" she asked, laughing.

"Unhappy being married to me."

She wedged her head into the crook of his shoulder and wrapped her arms around his middle. "Well, tonight I'm the happiest creature on earth knowing that I am your wife."

She sighed contentedly as, in response, he drew her even closer.

For one fleeting moment, she thought maybe her curse wasn't a curse at all. If it had never happened, she might have never been the person she was today. She might have never made the effort to connect and empathize with others around her. She might have never worked and studied so hard to be the ruler she had always claimed she was capable of being. She would have never had Andrei's support and guidance, and indeed, she would never have found so much happiness with him.

* * *

Isabel and Andrei didn't much feel like going back inside that night. They sat against the willow tree by the edge of the pond, talking, their arms around each other. He stole a few more kisses from her, and each left her as breathless as the first. Eventually they dozed off.

When the sunlight hit Andrei's face in the morning, he fidgeted at first, feeling the root of the willow tree jutting into his back. Then he recalled where he was and immediately jumped up to look at Isabel. He felt a rock fall to the pit of his stomach. She looked no different. He had been absolutely sure that the curse would be broken.

Truthfully, he had no idea how he would have explained it to her if it had. That their love had broken the curse was perhaps too much of a stretch for her to believe. But that didn't matter anymore, since it hadn't worked after all. Now, he started to feel the panic set in. How was he going to save her from the Forest?

"Oh it's light," she cried, sitting up straight. "Where is my veil?" She started scrambling around for it. Once it was safely on her face, she sat down again and started laughing, and then noticed that he hadn't joined her. In fact, he was looking rather pale.

"Are you alright?" she asked, slightly concerned.

"Yes, of course," he replied quickly, plastering a smile on his face that she had come to recognize as insincere. "We should get going, there is a lot to do today."

Indeed there was. There was still some paperwork to do regarding the new contract, and the council had to be assembled to inform them of the new development. Some incredulous exclamations went around the room, as everyone demanded an explanation from Andrei, but Lady Madeleine interrupted by congratulating the couple loudly.

"I am proud to allege my support to our future queen, and I am so delighted that His Highness Prince Andrei will remain with us in a high position on the council," she said. The rest of the room slowly murmured their assent. There was one whisper of, "If Prince Andrei thinks it's wise." Isabel made a face under her veil but thanked everyone enthusiastically. Andrei spoke in favor of his decision but his tone was perfunctory. It was clear to Isabel that his mind was elsewhere.

She tried to confront him later about what the matter was with him, but he only said something about lack of sleep and having a lot to do. She watched him fidget throughout the rest of the day, and finally in the late afternoon, he said he needed to take a ride to clear his head.

"Andrei, please tell me what is the matter," she implored. "Are you regretting your decision?" She asked in a small voice.

"No, of course not," he asserted forcefully, placing both hands on her shoulders. "I just have a lot on my mind. You should get some rest; you didn't get much sleep last night either. I will be back very soon." With a swift kiss on her hair, he ran off, leaving Isabel feeling rather confused and upset.


	19. Chapter 19

**_Pursuit_**

 _Christien was in the stable, grooming his horse. The servants were allowed their own horses, but the royal stableboys rarely tended to them._

 _He was excited at the prospect of travelling, and visiting and working in a new kingdom. Lisette had not reacted well to the news. He may have felt a little bit pleased if the reason had been because she would miss him; but she had accused him of being untrue in his feelings for the princess by leaving when she needed him most: just as she was realizing perhaps Prince Andrei did not care for her. He did not bring up the fact that it was Prince Andrei who had found him the position at Lavigne, news which had seemed to upset the princess greatly, and he was hoping they would not quarrel on his account. He was greatly irritated by Lisette's naïve hopes that Prince Andrei would leave and the princess would open her eyes to Christien's love and marry him. Christien had no desire for a life of politics and governance. If someone like him had any hopes regarding a princess, they rarely had marriage in mind; but he was certain that Princess Isabel would never entertain the idea of such a dalliance._

 _He was surprised to hear sounds coming from the royal section of the stable. Curiously he stepped out there to see who it was. Prince Andrei was hurriedly saddling his horse and quickly rode off somewhere._

" _Christien!" He started and turned around to face the voice that spoke to him._

" _Princess?"_

" _Do you know where Prince Andrei went?"_

" _No, I, uh, I didn't speak with him," he stammered._

" _Come with me," she ordered. "We're going to follow him."_

" _Beg your pardon, Princess?" he asked, shocked._

" _Please, Christien, I need your help. I am not properly attired, but I cannot afford to lose his trail if I leave to change. Now please help me saddle my horse."_

 _Christien nodded and quickly helped her saddled her filly and then mounted his own horse as they set off in pursuit._

* * *

 **Chapter 19**

"You must not have given up your heart's desire," the fairy told Andrei.

"But I gave up sovereignty," he cried in frustration.

"When I cast the curse, I told the Forest that it was to help to achieve your heart's desire, not to help you become king."

"You cast the curse because you carry some grudge against my wife," he retorted angrily.

"The grudge was against her mother, but I am satisfied having punished the daughter," the fairy responded. "But the Forest doesn't know that."

At another time, Andrei would have been interested in finding out the Forest's exact role in the curse and how the fairy spoke with the Forest, but right now he felt too angry.

"You said you owed me a debt for setting you free from that trap," he muttered angrily. "But instead you've ruined both my life and hers."

The fairy looked straight at him and remarked, "You're the one who set the trap in which I got caught in the first place."

And then they heard a shout.

"Your Highness!"

Andrei stood up, panicked. Someone had seen him! How much had they heard?

It was the gardener, Christien, riding up on his horse. Andrei felt his heart sink.

"The Princess is in the Forest!" The fairy cried suddenly.

"What?" Andrei cried in horror looking from her to the gardener.

"We were accosted by bandits," Christien panted. "Then something happened to her. She is turned wild and attacked them. She drove them away. But I don't understand what's happening. I tried to help her but she attacked me too."

Andrei stared at him in terror for a few moments as he recalled what the fairy had said about the Forest claiming her, and then his mind snapped into focus.

"Take me to her," he demanded.

However, she had run off from where Christien had last seen her. Andrei rode through the Forest path calling for Isabel, not caring that his shouts were disrupting the eerie silence of the Forest. Andrei knew the key to travelling safely through the Forest was to travel quietly, but such thoughts were not in his mind tonight. He was desperately trying not think of what might be happening to her.

Both Andrei and Christien were too distracted to realize that two bandits had ridden up next to them, and another was coming at them from the front.

Andrei came to an abrupt halt, and quickly dismounted, his mind racing to come up with a way to get rid of them. He had come armed. He never ventured into the Forest unarmed, but Christien had not come prepared. Christien also likely did not have much experience with swords. Physical combat was not Andrei's strong suit, but he could hold his own among the unskilled laypeople who had turned to a life of robbery out of desperation.

Christien also dismounted and came to stand very close to the prince. They were outnumbered three to two, and one bandit carried a sword. Andrei reckoned he would be able to fend him off, but tonight he was distracted and Christien would have to contend with two of them. The bandits were rapidly forming a close circle around the two of them and their horses, who were getting impatient and stamping around.

"I can offer you money if you leave us be," the prince said in a hard voice.

"Not as much as we can make if we hold you for ransom, Inghet prince," sniggered the one with the sword, dismounting and getting ready to duel.

But just then, another man burst through the trees, shouting for help, his face bloody.

"There is a beast," he panted. "Attacked us," he sputtered, collapsing to the ground, out of breath. "In women's clothing." The other bandits looked at him, bewildered, and one of them went over to help.

And then sure enough, the beast appeared in the gap between the trees. It could have been a bear or a large wolf, it was difficult to tell through the shadows. But it was dressed like a wealthy woman, though the clothing looked ripped in several places; and it was growling.

There followed a moment of confusion as the riderless horses ran off, and the two bandits who were still mounted struggled to restrain their rides. Andrei took advantage of this moment of distraction and tackled the armed bandit, disarming him easily, and handing his sword to Christien.

The beast had also taken advantage of the distracted and lunged at the man it had attacked before, who had fallen on to the ground, howling. The two bandits on horses attempted to charge at the beast to scare it off, but it only seemed to get more ferocious, and their horses became even less cooperative.

At that moment, another beast-like creature appeared out of thin air, snarling as menacingly as the first.

The bandits looked at each other, and made the split second decision to grab their fallen comrades and run away fast.

Andrei started to tremble, and the sword fell from his hand. He looked at the two creatures in front of him. The first was still growling, regarding him cautiously.

"Isabel?" Andrei gasped in disbelief. There had been a physical change in her. Her fur had grown longer, her teeth had become pointed, and she had grown more hunched. He didn't realize it then, but he was crying.

The second creature transformed into the fairy.

"Consider your debt repaid," she said in a stoic voice, but Andrei wasn't paying attention.

"Isabel, my love, it's me." He said softly, taking small steps towards her. "You can't let the Forest take you, my love, I'm here to help you."

She was still growling and eyeing him warily. He took one step forward and she pounced on him. He grabbed her wrists and tried to pin them down, but she tore one hand free and slashed at him. It cut him below the chest. He grabbed the hand back and tried to restrain her writhing figure.

"Isabel, dearest, please, listen to me. I know you're in there. I know you can hear me. Stay with me." She seemed to stop struggling after a while, but she was still growling.

"I can't lose you. I can't live with myself. Please don't leave me. I'll do anything to set things right. Please." It was only then that Andrei realized how hard he was crying and she was shuddering at every teardrop that fell on her.

She had stopped struggling completely now and was looking at him carefully, studying his face.

"Andrei?" she whispered. Then she blacked out and collapsed. He caught her and sank to the ground.

"Isabel, Isabel, wake up. You have to stay with me," he begged.

The fairy came forward. She touched the vein at the base of Isabel's throat.

"She's alive," she announced. "But we won't know if the Forest took her until she wakes up."

Christien came forward and knelt with them. He was shaking from shock and bursting with questions, but he knew now was not the time to ask them.

"If she's gone, then I don't want to live," Andrei growled.

"But you have to take care of the kingdom, your highness," Christien said, unsure what to say, but recognizing he needed to say something nonetheless.

"No! Don't you see?" Andrei cried. "I was behind the curse. I did this to her so I could steal her kingdom. I can't live with myself anymore. I can't lose her." Christien realized tears were falling from his eyes too. He almost placed a consoling hand on the prince's shoulder, but thought the better of it at the last minute.

"There has to be something we can do," he whispered, looking up at the fairy.

"My prince," she said. "You can still break the curse. Give up your heart's desire."

Andrei stared at her for a few seconds, and then looked down at the unconscious figure in his arms. His heart's desire. For the longest time, all he had wanted was to be king. Now he wanted so much more.

He realized then he had been drawn into a cruel trick. He had thought the curse would come at no cost to him. But even if he had never loved her, he would have had to live with the guilt of the knowledge of what he had done to her; and if he chose to do the right thing, he would have to give up everything – his ambitions of power, his perfect opportunity to do the work he loved, and worst of all, his hope of a life with Isabel.

But it wasn't a choice anymore. If it was in his power to save her, he was going to do whatever it took.

"Christien," he said. "In the morning, I am going to confess to the council my involvement with the curse. It's the only way to help her. If I succumb to my cowardice and run, then you have my full permission to come forward to the council with the truth."

"What will they do to you?" Christien asked.

"It doesn't matter," he said as he brushed Isabel's hair out of her face. "Let's take her home now."

* * *

They somehow managed to find their horses, and then carried the unconscious princess back to the castle. Andrei was afraid the handmaiden might be around, and she might see Isabel in her further transformed state. But it was close to daybreak, and they did not encounter anyone save the guards they had to sneak past to get her to her chambers. Andrei laid her gently on the bed.

He found some paper and writing implements; then sent Christien with an urgent message to Prince Henri to assemble the council at the earliest possible hour.

He stayed with Isabel through the night. The ripped dress she wore must have been uncomfortable, but he didn't know enough about women's clothing to try to take it off, but at the very least, he took off her boots to make her more comfortable. She tossed and turned at some points and he held her and comforted her the best he could.

"Isabel, stay with me," he whispered to her, stroking her hair. "Just hold on a little longer. I will make it go away. I won't let anything happen to you. I love you."

Tiredness gradually crept over Andrei and he began to nod off. He did not notice she was very slowly transforming back to her previous condition.

"Andrei," suddenly he heard Isabel crying and fidgeting. "What is happening to me?"

He jolted upright, and regarded the whimpering figure tearing at the pillows. He held out his arms and without hesitation, she crawled over and climbed onto his lap, burying her head on his shoulder, holding him tightly. "I can't think, my head hurts so much."

But then he was crushing her so tightly against him, she couldn't breathe. "You're back," he was saying, "you're safe."

It was then Isabel realized he was shaking and crying.

"Dearest, what's the matter? What has happened? Please tell me," she entreated.

Before he said anything, he kissed her, longer and harder this time. Evidently she had not gotten used to it yet, because she thought she would lose her balance and fall, but she clung to him until the dizziness subsided.

"I have something to tell you."

She was still reeling when he began to tell her something about a confession and a curse and a fairy. A _fairy_!

"I'm responsible for the curse," he was saying.

"What?" she asked in a small voice, confused. She fell back onto the bed and started to back away. She was having a massive headache.

"I really don't know what I was thinking, or how I could think I could justify doing this to you, but I truly did not understand how badly you would have been affected."

"Why?" she asked. He may have already answered that. She couldn't think straight. This must be a nightmare.

"I wanted to be king."

"So everything," she stumbled on her words, "everything you did was just a plot to steal my kingdom?" The headache was getting worse. She started to feel the rage building up inside her.

"At first," he said, his voice faltering. "Not any more. Now I'm prepared to do whatever it takes to break the curse. I'm going to the council now to make my confession-"

Before he had finished, she had hit him across the face. Even as her hand came down on him, Isabel was aware that her claws were out and she could hurt him. She tried to deflect the blow at the last moment, but it still cut him across the cheek.

Andrei didn't flinch. He wiped his cheek with one hand and looked at the blood.

"I should go now. I've requested an early council meeting so I can make my confession."

Isabel was backing away into the corner of the bed furthest from him. She curled into a fetal position and clutched at her hair. She couldn't bear the pain. Her head hurt so badly. But now she also felt like he had just torn a hole in her heart.


	20. Chapter 20

**_Confession_**

 _Prince Henri was not pleased at having his sleep disturbed so early in the morning. One his guards had woken him up, saying that Prince Andrei had sent word, through a gardener of all people, to convene the council for an urgent meeting. He couldn't fathom what kind of emergency motivated this. Nevertheless, he sent word to everyone to arrive at the earliest possible hour._

 _Regardless, when Andrei entered the council room, only Prince Henri, and Lords Leopold and Richard were present. They exclaimed in shock when they saw his face, still bleeding from a fresh wound. But Andrei insisted they listen to what he had to say before summoning a physician._

 _They stared at him in utter disbelief. Lord Leopold looked like he thought he might still be dreaming. As the gravity of Andrei's confession sunk in, Prince Henri's expression was one of complete betrayal._

" _Are you confessing to treason, Highness?" asked Leopold, still in confusion._

 _Andrei stumbled. He had not thought that far ahead._

 _Henri had regained his composure by now. "You'll have to be put under arrest and tried," he said in a grim shaky voice._

 _-~o~-_

 _Isabel lay in bed, unable to think through her headache, but a thought crept into her mind nonetheless. He said he was going to confess. Would he then be admitting to treason? The penalty for treason was harsh in Jardinia._

 _-~o~-_

 _As the guards came to take Andrei to his chambers, Isabel burst through the doors in a dirty gown torn in several places, her gloves and veil forgotten. Lords Richard and Leopold stared at her in confusion, but Henri was overcome with emotion._

 _"My daughter," he said, running over and taking Isabel in his arms, "my lovely, beautiful daughter."_

 _When he let her go, Isabel looked down at her hands and saw no fur and no claws. She touched her face and felt the smooth skin._

 _"The curse is broken, Father," she whispered, her eyes wide in shock._

 _"Yes, my dear," her father responded, still holding her close. Isabel looked around to see the guards take Andrei away. His face was still bleeding. He was looking at her with an unreadable expression on his face._

* * *

 **Chapter 20**

King Ioan was beside himself in shock when his presence was requested in Jardinia for Prince Andrei's trial. He stood accused of treason. How could that be possible? Andrei had just signed a contract handing sovereignty back to the Jardinian princess. Ioan had signed the contract as witness. How could his brother have committed treason in the meantime? There had to have been some gross misunderstanding. He needed to sort this out before George found out anything.

He was escorted to the council room immediately upon arrival and to his indignation, Prince Henri began questioning him on his knowledge of the princess's condition. He knew nothing besides the fact that she had wanted to step down and pass sovereignty to her husband due to an illness she had contracted. The circumstances were unusual, but he had not spared it much thought. Besides, he was under the impression that she was well on her way to recovery and had changed her mind, and hadn't it been decided that she would be queen?

"So you claim no knowledge of the curse that Prince Andrei had placed on her?" Ioan's jaw dropped. He snapped it shut and hastened to regain composure.

"This is the first I have heard of this. My brother made no mention of a curse to me. I cannot believe he would do something like this."

"Your brother has pleaded guilty." Ioan set his jaw. Andrei's recent behavior was starting to make sense now. This was why he had been so agitated and remorseful. Ioan felt a rush of anger building up that he had to struggle to contain. He should have known Andrei didn't simply get lucky with Jardinia. But he expected better from Andrei than to make such a mess of the situation. This was going to look really bad for Fier, and all of the Inghetlands. Andrei had better have a plan to talk himself out of this one.

Ioan was allowed to have a few hours before the court would reconvene in the evening. The guards escorted him to Andrei's chambers where he was being held under arrest.

"Explain," he uttered before even fully stepping into the room. Andrei looked up and Ioan took a step backwards in shock. His face was swollen and bandaged.

"What happened to you?"

"I'm sorry. I've disgraced our family."

"Explain."

Andrei sighed.

"I know this is not an excuse, but I was drunk."

Ioan covered his face with his hands.

"You know that this situation is infinitely more serious than the other times you have used that line?"

"I know."

"Explain."

Andrei explained his chance encounter with a fairy enchantress in the Forest and how she promised repay him for setting her free from his trap. He didn't kno wit at the time, but she had been planning to use this favor to him to her own advantage. During the fifth night of celebration of Ioan's wedding, right after Isabel had humiliated him, he had ridden out to the Forest to clear his mind. He met the fairy and said many things to her, most of which he could not remember. What he did recall was that the fairy had said Isabel was a beast and should be turned into one, and Andrei had agreed. At the time, he hadn't realized to what he had just agreed.

"Are you saying you didn't curse her on purpose?"

"Not at the time, no. But once I understood what it was going to do, I decided to take advantage of the situation."

Ioan scoffed. "I suppose it worked. You even got her to like you. I had thought for sure you would have tried to win over Lady Miel once she was named heir."

"I thought about it," Andrei admitted. "But it didn't seem right. I just kept thinking about how Isabel didn't deserve what had happened to her because of me, wretched as I thought she was at the time."

"Have you been carrying around this guilt these past few months?" asked Ioan.

Andrei was silent. "I tried to suppress those feelings. I tried not to think about it."

Ioan sighed and shook his head. "I never thought even you would be so thoughtless. But I must admit, last time I saw you I was puzzled by how overcome you were with self-loathing. I knew you were struggling with the decision to surrender sovereignty, but I had no idea what you were guilty of."

They were silent for some time and then Ioan nodded at the bandage. "How did you get into this state?"

Andrei explained the fairy's warning to keep Isabel away from the Forest, but she had followed him in there without his knowledge. They had come within an inch of losing her to the Forest. Ioan nodded.

"Why did you confess?"

Andrei looked at him in surprise. "It was the only way to save her."

"If you didn't confess, you wouldn't have disgraced your family; and if you couldn't save her, you could've married the next heir and been king."

Andrei couldn't speak. Ioan could tell the comment had made his brother angry. He sighed.

"I really hadn't thought you would ever come to care for someone so much that you would put her above your own future. You understand that you are ruined?" Ioan sat down, suddenly feeling exhausted. "So what are we going to do? They told me you've pleaded guilty."

"I've plead guilty to treachery, not to treason."

"What?"

"I had made no commitment to Jardinia when I agreed to the curse. There was no treason. Ever since I married into Jardinia, I have only tried to undo the effects of the curse."

Ioan's shoulders slumped. "Well at least they won't put you to death then." It seemed wrong to be speaking so lightly, but it was the only way the whole ordeal seemed real.

* * *

The evening trial went on for quite some time. Andrei was questioned in meticulous detail about his involvement with the curse, and he made a strong case against treason. Ioan noticed that the council members, if anything, seemed biased towards Andrei and were leaning towards acquitting him in light of his services to Jardinia over the past year. Most of them had not been present during the initial confession, and they did not seem to wish to confront the gravity of his offense. Prince Henri didn't seem to be of the same mind. Lord Francis, who had learned of the developments, was eager to come temporarily out of retirement to be part of the proceedings and was of the same mind as Prince Henri. Princess Isabel did not attend.

She had been questioned earlier and Lord Leopold read out her testimony. She claimed she had not been assaulted, though she could not explain her disheveled state. She recalled riding into the Forest with her gardener after Prince Andrei, but the next thing she recalled was waking up with a headache in her bedchamber, with Andrei sitting at the foot of her bed. And then he confessed to her. Ioan thought the testimony made Andrei look rather suspect.

Fortunately, they brought in a gardener to testify. He had witnessed the entire scene in the Forest. He corroborated Andrei's story and convinced the council that Andrei's primary motivation had been the princess's safety.

To Ioan's relief, Andrei made a point to establish that his brothers or his homeland were in no way complicit with his scheme and that he had acted alone.

Finally, after much deliberation the council determined that Andrei would be banished from Jardinia, which he accepted without protest. Some council members didn't want to see him leave, but Lord Francis wanted to publicly expose him. The rest of the council were decidedly against that, and Prince Henri himself did not want his daughter involved in a scandal. In the end Andrei was charged with deceit, and banished, with a recommendation that he leave the Foretlands altogether. His marriage to Isabel was going to be dissolved quietly and the annulment would be announced publicly at a later date after confusion from his sudden departure died down.

Finally, Ioan and Andrei prepared to leave Jardinia for good.

"Ioan," Andrei pleaded. His brother looked up. "One of the guards told me Isabel was very sick, but no one will give me any news of how she is now." Ioan sighed. "Fine," he said.

He inquired after the princess, and found that she had indeed been sick with headache, dizziness and fever ever since her curse broke, but she was on the mend now. "She'll get better," was, however, all he would tell his brother.


	21. Chapter 21

**_Nightmare_**

 _She would fall down into the pit of her own mind, drown in a wave of unintelligible thoughts. Animalistic thoughts. Like she wasn't herself anymore. She was a creature of the Forest. The Forest would drag her away from herself and she couldn't fight her way back. Until she heard Andrei's voice urging him to stay with her. And she would follow his voice until she found a way out. But she'd wake up, and he wouldn't be there._

 _-~o~-_

 _The third night she had the nightmare, however, she woke up to see a figure standing by the foot of her bed. It was the fairy._

" _Don't be startled," she said. "I have come to apologize."_

 _Isabel said nothing. The fairy continued, "I have borne many grudges against your family. Small grudges, but they accumulated over the generations. I have watched you long. Beautiful, but rude and haughty and cruel. You were deserving of the punishment."_

" _You had no right," said Isabel coolly._

" _I can harm humans only at the behest of another," continued the fairy, as if uninterrupted. "Imagine my delight when the chance came along. An Inghet prince; one who was perhaps even involved with those who hunt my kin in the north. I knew I was using him ill, but he knew nothing beyond his ambitions; it would not have bothered me if his plans went awry."_

" _Who are you?" asked the princess._

" _My name is Delphine," replied the fairy._

" _Why did you help us that night in the Forest?"_

 _She chuckled. "Call it a weakness of fairies. We cannot help but come to the aid of true love. I never thought he would have it in him to break the curse. I made that particularly difficult."_

" _Are you satisfied with your punishment?"_

" _Yes," said Delphine, rising to leave. "You have nothing to fear from me. For now." Once at the window, she turned back. "And you are safe from the Forest's hold. I was wrong about you. If you truly had a black heart, you would not have been able to resist the Forest. Sleep now, queen-to-be."_

* * *

 **Chapter 21**

Only four days remained till Isabel's coronation. But it was difficult to feel any excitement regarding that anymore. All she could feel was an immense sense of loss.

She had spent most of her time sitting by the window, staring at nothing; or standing by the mirror as if reacquainting with her reflection. She had never been particularly vain, but she had taken pride in her beauty. Her appearance had changed somewhat though. She was thinner, and looked more worn. Her features seemed more angular. She would probably no longer be considered a beauty the way she had been before the curse, but Isabel was far too grateful to have human skin again to care about that.

"Come now, your highness," Lisette chided her. "You must not go through your coronation as listlessly as you went through your wedding."

She realized it was the wrong thing to say when Isabel's face darkened. Of course, speaking of the wedding would only remind her of Andrei's treachery.

But Isabel actually agreed with Lisette. She had had to force herself to go through the wedding, because it was not something she had wanted. But she did want the coronation. She had dreamed of it her entire life.

She had stayed in bed since the confession claiming she had a headache and a fever. This was all very true, but now, at the back of her mind, she knew that she was well enough to resume her duties. She had fought these past months for the right to perform these duties. She would not let her heartbreak prevent her now from carrying them out.

She held court with her father one last time before it was temporarily suspended for the coronation. For the first time she noticed how free she felt without her veil, how much easier it was to interact with her subjects, and how much more effective she felt without it.

Her duties now largely involved preparing for the coronation and for her life as queen following it. No longer plagued by the curse, she was now assigned new attendants, though Lisette was to remain her chief handmaiden, regardless of whether any of them raised objections regarding disparities in social status. She had to try on several gowns made for the occasion. She had to sit down with the council and her father to review every legal detail of the transition of power. In addition, Prince Henri had now moved out of the royal suite into what he called "cozier and more comfortable quarters", and now those rooms were being prepared for Isabel's use.

Her father had been very attentive and supportive during this time, visiting her every day and doing everything he could to make her comfortable. He kept her updated of every development was ready to let her take charge as soon as she felt well enough to do so. He was afraid to talk to her about Andrei. But he still read out to her the letter he received from King George of Fier. The king assured him he had no knowledge of Andrei's dealings with fairies or magic. He expressed his intense disappointment in his youngest brother and informed them as punishment for disgracing his family, Andrei was now also barred from Fier. He apologized profusely for all the pain his brother had caused Isabel and Jardinia, and he expressed hope that the relations between their two kingdoms would not be broken.

Isabel had seemed quite distressed by the letter, so they had not discussed it further. Isabel did not wish to talk to anyone about Andrei. She was feeling devastated from having learned that it was he who had caused her so much pain. But it was not the curse that she felt most upset about, for after all, he hadn't exactly intended for the curse to happen. It was the fact that he had been so unsympathetic and eager to take advantage of her curse. But then why was it that she desperately wished that he were here right now? She was in as much pain now as when she had been first under the curse, and it was him from whom she wanted comfort. But at the same time, she didn't wish to see him. She didn't think she could talk to him without wanting to hit every inch of him for being so unfeeling towards her.

Yet, she had known, even when she had married him, that he only wanted her kingdom and that he was taking advantage of her condition; she just hadn't known that he had caused it, however unwittingly. She had hated him then. But then he had grown to be a man who had become her partner. He had respected her, valued her ideas and her opinions, helped and guided her in learning to become a ruler; he had come to realize what he had taken away from her, and he had set aside his ambitions to give them back to her. He had been willing to destroy his future prospects in order to keep her safe. But most of all, what she remembered was how he had comforted her when she needed it, and how he had reached out to her when she was becoming lost to herself and brought her back. He was not the same man who had cursed her.

She thought about what the fairy had said. She had made the curse difficult to break. But Andrei had still managed to break it. As wicked as he had been in taking advantage of the curse, it had been designed to cost him greatly should he ever come to regret it. Her anger had started to redirect towards the fairy.

Regarding Andrei, she found herself worrying about him constantly. She had heard no news from Lavigne, and she was desperate to know how he was. It cannot be easy for him to have lost everything, to have left Jardinia disgraced, to have been barred from his homeland, to have lost the prospect of becoming king. She was told that it was recommended to him that he leave the Foretlands altogether. Had he left already? She could not bear the thought. She also worried about his wound. She knew he would receive proper care from physicians in Lavigne, but she could not stop fretting about whether it had healed, or about the fact that she had inflicted such a blow on him.

* * *

Two days before her coronation, her father came to her and spoke to her openly.

"My daughter," he said. "I wish you did not have to be so unhappy before the most important day of your life. But I understand that it is in large part my fault."

Isabel looked up, surprised. He continued, "I was the one who pushed you in to that marriage. I was the one so taken in by the young man that I was blind to the fact that he had deliberately plotted everything. You had objected to him and protested that he did not have the right intentions. I should have listened." He sighed. "In fact, I should have trusted you and believed in you from the very beginning instead of trying to find somebody like Andrei to rule Jardinia after me. In that respect, I truly did fail you."

Isabel had never heard her father be so brutally honest about his own shortcomings; nor had she seen him look so remorseful. She came to sit next to him and put her head on is shoulder. He smiled weakly and put his arm around her. For a moment it felt like they had been transported years ago, when he doted on and spoiled his daughter, when there were no tensions or disagreements between them.

"But Father," said Isabel. "The irony is that in the end it was Andrei who helped me learn how to become a ruler. And even then, I did not learn everything. There is still a long way to go."

He smiled. "I promise to give you my full support henceforth," he said. "But it is surprising about Andrei, isn't it? He started off coming here to take over the sovereignty, but then he gradually trained you and guided you and then gave the kingdom back to you."

"I'm sure he hadn't intended it to be that way," she responded. "He changed somehow."

"I think it was you who changed him," her father offered.

Isabel sighed. "Perhaps. I don't know. But I do know that I changed immensely in the past year, and it was because of the curse. Without it, I would not have been humbled enough to try to learn as hard as I did. To tell you the truth, even though I'm pleased I'm free of it now, I think a part of me is glad that it did happen to me, so that I could become the person I am today. In the past few weeks, I had actually come to accept it and learned to be happy despite it."

"I suppose life can be strange," he said. "In trying to harm you, he may have inadvertently done you a favor."

"But you told me of his testimony. He hadn't specifically plotted to place the curse on me. That vindictive fairy who had a grudge against Mother made convenient use of his words when he was angry. And intoxicated."

"So you have forgiven him?" Prince Henri frowned.

Isabel shook her head. "I am still angry. But I don't think he deserves this much punishment. Especially in the light of the fact that he made some rather large sacrifices in order to set things right."

Henri nodded thoughtfully. "Yes, I think you are right. But I don't think it's our place to interfere with King George's punishment. And I don't wish to do any more from my end. If you wish to pardon him, then it shall be your decision when you are queen in two days. But, my darling, what would you hope to achieve?"

Isabel looked at him questioningly, not sure what he meant.

"It may be best to let him leave the Foretlands quietly and seek his fortunes elsewhere. A pardon from you might lead to a pardon from Fier, and he shan't have the burden of a scandal to bear. But I don't think it will be wise to ask him to return after he has humiliated himself here."

Isabel nodded to indicate she understood, but she frowned and didn't say anything. Would Andrei prefer to leave quietly instead of coming back, if she asked him to? She desperately wished to speak with him.

* * *

 _ **The Beast**_

 _"How long are you going to keep this up?"_

 _"Keep what up?"_

 _Ioan sighed. "You stay locked up in your chambers. You never speak to anyone. You refuse meals. You're single-handedly depleting our wine stores."_

 _"What would you do if you were banished from the kingdom you worked so hard to win, banished from your own homeland, everyone hates you, and you can never see your wife again?"_

 _"For the last time, George hasn't banished you. He's just angry. Mother will convince him to let you come back."_

 _"That's not what she told me in the letter she wrote me to tell me how disappointed she is in me."_

 _"Wouldn't you be disappointed in you?"_

 _"Yes, and that's the worst part."_

 _"Also, stop calling her your wife. Your marriage has been annulled."_

 _Andrei grimaced. He knew he and Isabel were no longer married, but he couldn't seem to stop thinking of her as his wife. He couldn't stop thinking about the night they spent by the pond under the willow tree talking about their future together. Their discussion wasn't as romantic as it sounded. They had spent most of the conversation on the politics of the Foretlands and the Inghetlands and the role they wanted to play in it. She had shown great interest in being involved with the Inghetlands. He wondered if she would continue with those plans now that circumstances had changed._

 _"You were the one who chose to be villain in her story."_

 _Andrei rolled his eyes at the dramatic statement, but he was becoming rather fond of dramatic overstatements these days. He would have to remember that one._

 _"I am the beast."_

 _"I beg your pardon?"_

 _"The fairy turned her into a creature of the Forest, but I was the beast. She punished Isabel for rudeness or unkindness or whatever it was, and now she's punishing me for my greed and ambition."_

 _"You know, ambition is not a bad quality to have."_

 _"Yes, maybe that's why I still haven't lost it. I'm going to travel South in a few days. Maybe visit the Sahara, and find my fortune there."_

 _Ioan looked up at this piece of good news. "I'm glad to hear it! Let me know if you need any help in preparing."_

 _"Eager to get rid of me, are we?" asked Andrei bitterly. "I just need to keep doing some reading and I should be ready in a few days. I'm just going to take a ride now to clear my head."_

 _"Be back soon," said Ioan. "It looks like rain."_

* * *

 **Chapter 21 (cont.)**

The day before her coronation, Isabel woke with a terrible sense of agitation and dread. The need to see Andrei was agonizing.

She paced up and down her chambers, trying to calm her nerves. She waved her attendants away, only allowing Lisette to stay with her.

"You mustn't let your thoughts dwell in Lavigne too long, your highness," the handmaiden said.

"Are my thoughts so transparent?" the princess mused. Then she turned her gaze on the other girl. She had been much subdued recently. Her support had ben unwavering and indispensable during this difficult time for Isabel, but perhaps there could be a different reason for Lisette's glumness.

"Are your thoughts also in Lavigne by any chance?" she asked.

Lisette jumped. "No…well, yes…no, I don't…" she fumbled with her words, unsure what to say.

"You haven't been to the gardens in the past few days," Isabel observed, meaning to say that Lisette hadn't visited the gardens since Christien departed.

"I have been very busy with preparations for the coronation," Lisette protested. "And besides, Christien's old apprentice is now a proper gardener, and has been paying too much attention my way, not realizing that he is just a boy."

Isabel found this amusing. She could have teased Lisette by saying all the things the latter used to say regarding Christien's feelings for Isabel, but instead she said, "I'm sure he'll come to realize that it is just a passing fancy. And when Christien comes back, I'm certain he will keep the boy in line."

Lisette gave an embarrassed smile. "Christien said he would write before he left. He hasn't yet."

Isabel was glad Lisette was confiding in her. She knew that Lisette did not yet know how she felt, so Isabel did not wish to press her too much. She didn't know how Christien felt either. But she knew that the two had become good friends over the past few weeks and she hoped they would always have that.

"It has only been a few days," she consoled. "When he writes, let me know how he is. And be sure to give him my regards." Lisette nodded.

As soon as Lisette left, however, Isabel's sense of dread returned. Unfortunately, this being the day before her coronation, there wasn't much for her to do, so she couldn't busy herself with work, and all her attendants were extremely busy preparing for the next day.

To her relief, a carriage pulled up in the evening bearing Lady Miel. Here was the opportunity for news from Lavigne. But she was also pleased to see her cousin and embraced her warmly.

"I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow!" she cried. "But I'm so glad you've come early!"

"Why didn't you tell me what had happened?" her cousin demanded. "I only found out today."

"I wanted to write," said Isabel. "But I couldn't bring myself to write about it."

"I heard only this morning that the king and queen are not going to attend your coronation," said Miel. Isabel nodded. She was aware that they had declined the invitation for obvious reasons. Miel continued, "That was when I learned of…the whole unpleasant circumstances. I didn't even know Prince Andrei was in Lavigne until I heard he was sick."

"What?" Isabel had become very still.

Miel reached out and took her hand. "I know that this news might upset you, but I thought you needed to know. He has been shut up in his chambers since he returned, which is why I didn't even know he was there. But two days ago, he caught a fever while out riding, and he's been very sick since."

Isabel was clutching her hand so hard, it was hurting. Her eyes were wide with alarm. "I spoke with one of the nurses after I heard about it. She– she says they are very worried because his fever has shown no sign of abating and I hear he is delirious." Miel paused, hesitating. "Isabel, he's been asking for you."


	22. Chapter 22

_"I spoke with one of the nurses after I heard about it. She– she says they are very worried because his fever has shown no sign of abating and I hear he is delirious." Miel paused, hesitating. "Isabel, he's been asking for you."_

 **Chapter 22**

Isabel knew instantly what she needed to do. Coronation notwithstanding, she had to see him. She could never convince her father or anyone, not even a coach driver, to prepare a carriage to take her to Lavigne. She must go on horseback. It would get her there faster anyway.

She had no time to worry whether she would be able to ride such a distance by herself, but she did worry that she might get lost. The quickest path took her through the edge of the Forest and after her episode in there, she found it more frightening than ever. But she ignored her fears and rode on. By nightfall, she could see the vineyards of Lavigne against the horizon in the distance.

It was quite late at night by the time she arrived at the palace. It was difficult finding her way through the city and she had to stop for directions several times. To her relief a shocked Lavignian councilman recognized her and escorted her to the palace.

She was shown into a sitting room, where she waited, hot and dusty, until she was received by Queen Adaline and King Ioan, shock and disbelief etched across their faces.

"Princess Isabel, this is exceedingly unexpected," began Ioan. "We understand it is your coronation tomorrow."

"Please," Isabel entreated a little impatiently, "I'm here to see Prince Andrei."

"I'm afraid that is not possible," Ioan replied. "He is rather unwell and cannot receive guests at the moment."

"But I'm not a guest!" she cried. "I'm his wife!"

Ioan hesitated, surprised by her declaration. "You highness, I cannot express how touched I am by your concern. But after everything that has transpired, do you not think it would be rather inappropriate?"

"Ioan," said his wife, touching his arm. "He's been asking for her. You know that."

"But-"

"Please," Isabel begged, close to tears. "I need to see my husband."

* * *

Ioan didn't know what to make of it. Was she going to change her mind and take him back? Was the marriage not annulled? And hadn't she flat out refused to see him before he left? Ioan had never seen his brother so torn up before, and he couldn't help but feel an unjustified resentment towards Isabel for it. Of course Andrei had brought that upon himself, but he couldn't imagine that the princess was here for any other reason than to enjoy the misery of the one who had caused her so much pain.

Isabel could sense his animosity, and was deeply uncomfortable, but as soon as they had entered Andrei's room, she was no longer aware of Ioan, or the nurses who were tending to him. She walked up to the bed as if in a trance and sat down by his side. She touched his face to feel his temperature, her fingers lingering on the scar that now adorned his cheek.

Suddenly Ioan had the uncomfortable feeling that he was intruding upon a private moment, and he quickly motioned to the nurses to leave with him.

Isabel took Andrei's hand in hers and held it to her chest.

"What did you do to yourself?" she whispered.

"Isabel…" he murmured in his sleep.

"I'm here, dearest." Isabel bit back a sob. "Can you hear me?"

"I'm so sorry."

She clutched his hand tighter. "You should be." He didn't respond. Isabel's tears came freely now.

"You're the most awful person alive. You had me cursed so you could take my throne from me," her accusations came freely too. "How could you be so unfeeling and so wicked?"

His face looked screwed up in pain. "Please don't hate me," he was mumbling.

"But I had accepted the curse, and I was prepared to live with it. All I wanted was my birthright. You gave me back my throne. That was all I needed. We could have been happy," she wept.

"But it all would have been a lie," she said after a moment's reflection, wiping her tears. "I wouldn't have wanted that."

Andrei mumbled something unintelligible and fidgeted on the bed. Isabel reached out and brushed a lock of hair away from his forehead. For the first time she noticed how unkempt he looked.

"Really, what _have_ you done to yourself?" she asked again. But of course there was no response. "I shan't berate you anymore; I can't bear to see how you're suffering."

"Thank you for lifting the curse from me," she added after a pause. "Life has been so much easier. I feel like I've lost a huge burden." She looked at him and sighed. "But it's not worth losing you. Please stay with me. Come back with me." It didn't matter what her father said or thought.

She kissed the hand she was holding.

"I forgive you," she whispered. "I love you."

She kissed his scar and then his lips.

He didn't move or stir. Then perhaps out of sheer exhaustion after her long ride, Isabel laid her head on his chest and lost consciousness.

* * *

Isabel found herself gently woken from her slumber by a kindly looking nurse. She looked about her in confusion, trying to remember where she was. Sunlight was streaming into the room and Andrei was sleeping peacefully in front of her. At some point during the night, he had lightly wrapped his arms around her.

"Queen Adaline sent me to fetch you, your highness," said the nurse. "She has sent some maids to prepare hot water for your bath and lay out some fresh clothes for you. She requests you join her for breakfast once you are ready."

Isabel nodded and looked at Andrei.

"He shall be fine, your highness," said the nurse. "His fever has come down this morning and we shall look after him."

Thus Isabel let the nurse gently move Andrei's arms and then lead her to a guest chambers where a maid was waiting to help her with her bath and dress. It was relief to wash off the dirt and sweat from last night's journey.

Breakfast was rather awkward because she didn't quite know what to say.

"We sent word to your father that you are safe," Adaline informed her. "And we're preparing a carriage for your journey home."

"Thank you," Isabel replied. "Please, there's no need to rush. I don't think I can make it to my coronation in time anyway, so I'd rather wait till Andrei wakes up."

Adaline smiled. "I am glad you came," she said. "He has been so miserable without you. And Ioan has been so hard on him. And so has King George. He stopped eating properly, and would take nothing but the wine. It's no wonder he fell so sick."

Isabel stared at her plate. "I've been very miserable without him too," she said slowly. "But I can't believe that he fell apart like this. He is always so in control of his emotions. Sometimes he acted like he didn't have any."

"I should have come sooner," she lamented. "I just didn't know if he was still here, or what I would say or-"

Adaline got up and walked over to her. Gently putting a hand her shoulder, she assured her that she had nothing to regret. She had been in a very difficult position. Isabel smiled and wondered why she had never noticed how pleasant Adaline really was. It was only then that Isabel noticed the small bump in her belly. It was barely visible.

"Oh are you…?"

Adaline smiled widely, nodding. "We found out very recently," she said happily. "I've only just started showing; I suppose we shall have to announce it soon."

"Congratulations!" Isabel wished her enthusiastically, "I'm sure there will be much celebration in Lavigne in a few months!"

"Oh yes! I am so excited! We have really missed you in Lavigne. Will you come when the baby is born?"

"Of course!"

Ioan joined them then, and seemed to want no part of the women's gushing conversation about babies. He thanked Isabel for her congratulations, but insisted on sending her back home immediately, lest they cause a scandal. Isabel scowled and argued with him, and he wondered if she really had changed all that much. Maybe she was regressing to her old ways.

Their argument was cut short when Andrei came bursting into the room, still in his night shirt, his eyes looking wild.

"Isabel?" he asked desperately, looking from one shocked face to the other until he finally recognized her.


	23. Chapter 23

_Their argument was cut short when Andrei came bursting into the room, still in his night shirt, his eyes looking wild._

 _"Isabel?" he asked desperately, looking from one shocked face to the other until he finally recognized her._

 **Chapter 23**

"What are you doing out of bed?" Ioan's rebuke was, however, laced with concern.

Andrei still looked rather disoriented. "The nurse said…" he mumbled, turning his head to look at Isabel, who stood rooted to the spot. She had been anticipating keeping vigil by his bedside until he awoke and was ready to fight Ioan to be able to stay, but found herself at quite a loss seeing Andrei standing there looking so wild-eyed and desperate. She was only barely aware of Ioan as he shook his head, squeezed his brother's shoulders and left the room with his wife.

Andrei was looking at her as if she were an apparition. "Are you really here?" he whispered.

The next thing she knew was that she had her arms wrapped around him, and she was crying, and his arms were crushing her against him.

"I thought you hated me. You never wanted to see me again." His voice shook, and he struggled rather unsuccessfully to hold back his own tears.

"I do hate you!" she cried. "Do you have any idea how miserable you made me?"

"I can't begin to tell you how sorry I am and how sorry I have been since I realized what I'd done. I don't deserve to be forgiven."

"No you don't," she declared perhaps a little petulantly. "I will never forgive you. You said you wouldn't leave."

"But I was banished!" he contended confusedly. He pulled her back to look at her, but her face only disoriented him further. Of course he knew this face. But the only looks he had received from it were ones of contempt and aversion. But now it was looking at him with the deepest affection. "And I had to leave to break the curse. And you wanted me gone."

"I'm know; I'm sorry," she murmured, reaching up to wipe his tears. She couldn't believe she was seeing him like this, like he had no control over his emotions and was at her mercy. "But what did you expect after a confession like that?" The soft brush of her fingers made him tremble. He closed his eyes to listen to her voice.

"I did hate you right then, when you told me what you had done to me. And I thought everything between us was a lie, and you were the wicked schemer I always thought you were. But…I needed time to realize that you wouldn't have sacrificed everything if you didn't…"

Andrei opened his eyes to look directly into hers. They were just as he remembered them, and now they were wide with earnestness, just like they got every time she tried to convince him of her ideas and like the time she had asked him if he would stay with her.

Andrei pulled her close and held her tightly.

"I knew I would never see you again," he said, burying his face in her shoulder. "I thought I could live with it if I knew that you would be safe, but I couldn't stand the thought of you hating me. I deserved it for being so wicked."

Isabel almost wanted to offer comforting contradictions, but then, he really had been wicked.

"You have a lot to make up to me," she said.

Andrei sighed. "I'll gladly spend the rest of my days making it up to you, but the curse didn't break because I gave up Jardinia. It broke because I gave up the chance to be with you. There's nothing more I want in the world, but I can't risk something happening to you again because of my folly. I have to leave."

"No! I don't care," said Isabel rather forcefully. "I'd rather be a beast than be without you."

"And I'd die before I let the Forest take you again," he said with finality.

"It won't," she said, placing her hand on his chest. "I saw the fairy. She said the Forest's hold on me is broken."

"What?"

"She visited me one night. She said she had been wrong about me and doesn't wish to punish me anymore. But I really hadn't considered before how cruel she had been to you-"

"And it won't affect you even if I return?" Andrei interrupted.

"No," she said and looked up at him with her wide eyes. "Please come back," she whispered.

Andrei stared at her for a few seconds, and then with a sound that was both laugh and cry, he hugged her again. Isabel took that for a yes.

"But how could you fall apart like this?" she asked him now.

Andrei shook his head. "I don't know. After I came here, I realized everyone just hates me now. It had never occurred to me I'd get barred from Fier. My brothers have been furious with me. Even my mother wrote me to tell me how disappointed she was in my behavior. I could not stand being hated so."

"They don't hate you," she assured him, taking his face in her hands. "You should have seen how worried King Ioan was when you were ill. And King George will forgive you soon. I'm issuing a royal pardon for you, and he can't be mad at you forever."

"It doesn't matter," said Andrei, gripping her arms. "Isabel, I've had some days to think. I don't care what they think. I can be happy in a world where everyone hates me as long as _you_ didn't." He was looking at her intently, searching for the familiar features and familiar expressions.

Isabel inhaled a shaky breath. His grand declaration was making her want to cry, but at the same time, she couldn't quite believe it. She hid her face in his chest. "Don't be ridiculous," she said finally, laughing. "You know you care far too much about your public image."

And Andrei found himself laughing too as he held her tightly. She knew him too well. "I suppose I do." He pulled her back to look at her again.

"What?" Isabel asked, grinning shyly.

"I'm trying to get used to your face," he said.

"Don't tell me you miss my fur!"

Andrei grinned sheepishly. "No, I don't suppose I do, but I'm just not used to your old face." She was in fact much more beautiful than he remembered, and with her face so close, completely furless, his thoughts were consumed with wanting to kiss her.

Isabel bent her head thoughtfully. "Well, I know you hated my claws."

"Well, I won't lie about that. I did," he said as she traced a finger along his scar.

"I'm so sorry," she whispered contritely. "Does it still hurt?"

"No," he shook his head.

She lifted her head and gently kissed his scar, which seemed to make him lose his breath. His cheek felt scratchy from his stubble.

"I don't like your fur either," she teased.

Andrei wanted to remind her that he in fact had another injury from her in his abdomen, which she was unlikely to remember, since it had been when she had been losing her mind in the Forest. But he decided that now was not a good time for that.

Instead he said, "I should probably wait until I've had time to wash and groom myself, but I don't think I can."

She looked at him questioningly, but instead of explaining, he pressed lips to hers. He hesitated when he felt her freeze. But then she relaxed, and came closer, and clung to him. And then he kissed her with every emotion that he had felt over the past few months, while he was with her and without her; and Isabel was lost to the world. She could not feel the ground, or the scratches from his whiskers; she could only feel his kiss and his arms holding her.

* * *

After Andrei had time to wash and clean up and eat, he and Isabel and Ioan needed to sit down and discuss important matters.

"But the marriage has been annulled," said Ioan. "Andrei and I signed the papers before we left Jardinia."

"You didn't notice?" Isabel questioned. They looked at her, nonplussed.

"I signed the papers after you left, but it was the first contract that was annulled. No one must have been paying attention. I took the liberty to hide the second contract, and it is very much intact, and Andrei and I are very much married."

The brothers stared at her in disbelief.

"You mean I can return as your chief adviser?" Andrei asked, his eyes wide.

Isabel pursed her lips. "I'm not certain I wish to allow that after what you did."

Andrei looked incredulous and opened his mouth to protest, then decided against it.

"Would you wish to return to Jardinia without a position?" Ioan asked his brother.

Andrei sighed and looked from Ioan to Isabel, hesitating. She held her breath.

He looked at her nervous wide eyes, and then he knew his answer with certainty.

"Yes," he said finally, his eyes still on Isabel. Isabel's face broke out into an elated smile, which she ducked to hide.

"Well, then, perhaps it's best to settle matter after your coronation? And after you have issued the pardon?" Ioan asked Isabel.

Andrei frowned. "When is the coronation? I'm afraid I'm a little disoriented."

"It was scheduled to have been today," replied his brother.

Andrei looked at Isabel in confusion, "Then what are you doing in Lavigne?"

"I had my priorities," she declared.

He shook his head incredulously. "How did you even manage to get here with your coronation about to happen?"

"I came on horseback."

"There is no way you rode such a distance!"

She chuckled at his look of incredulity, and reached out to take his hand, and squeezed it.

"By the way," Ioan interrupted. "Your father has written back to say he would prefer you return tonight so that the coronation can be held tomorrow."

Isabel nodded reluctantly. "Alright," she said. "I'll have the pardon issued the very next day and you can come right after," she started to tell Andrei, but he shook his head.

"I'm coming with you today," he declared emphatically. "I'll risk arrest if I have to."

"Don't be ridiculous," she replied sharply, "You're still recovering!"

"I'm completely fine, but I won't be if I'm parted from you now. I'm not letting you leave without me."

Ioan gave them an exasperated look and Isabel felt a little embarrassed. She probably should have protested and insisted that he needed to rest, but she could not bear to part with him now either. Besides, she wanted him to be present at her coronation.

"I'd recommend you didn't travel today," said Ioan, "But I won't stop you if you insist."

"I do insist," said Andrei; then he turned and smiled at his wife, squeezing her hand tightly.


	24. Chapter 24

**_Christien_**

 _Christien was unaware of the dramatic events that were unfolding at the royal palace. In fact, he didn't know Prince Andrei was ill at all. After he arrived at Jardinia and took up his new position in the vineyard, he had attempted to call on the prince, but he hadn't been receiving any visitors at the time._

 _He had enjoyed the new work immensely at first. It turned out he quite enjoyed travelling to a new place and learning about their different practices of gardening. In Lavigne, the vineyards were not only for growing grapes, but they served as botanical attraction. It was strange, however, to be receiving orders instead of giving them, after so long._

 _He had considered whether he should take leave to travel back to Jardinia for the coronation, but he was going to be here only a short time, and the princess wouldn't miss him much anyway. He had written to Jacques to make sure to send the queen a mix of red and white roses as a congratulatory gift._

 _He did, however, wish to talk to Lisette. She had come to say goodbye before he left. She had apologized for arguing with him about taking the position at Lavigne, and had asked him to write. He had attempted to write a few times, but he was never sure what to say. Yet he had a lot to say. He didn't get the chance to talk to her about the night in the Forest before he left; she may have heard what the princess was told of his testimony, but he felt a strong need to discuss it with her._

 _He wanted to assure her that Prince Andrei did truly love their princess; and that he was tarting to suspect that his own heart lay somewhere else. But he didn't possess sufficient eloquence of written speech. He would have to settle for a short, formal letter._

* * *

 **Chapter 24**

When Isabel and Andrei arrived in Jardinia, they were told to go straight to the council room.

A messenger had been sent ahead of time to inform Prince Henri that Andrei was returning with Isabel. He was returning before his official pardon was issued, and hence the council had been summoned to get all legal matters straight right away.

However, it was clear Andrei was still weak from his illness, and the journey had done him no favors. He had to lean on Isabel for support, and she seemed anxious to put him to bed. But he determinedly sat through another hearing where he repeated his formal apology, swore his allegiance to Jardinia and to Isabel, and declared he would accept whatever position they offered him, even if they didn't offer him one, as long as he could stay with his wife.

Truthfully, the council put up no challenges. They were eager to have Andrei back. It was Prince Henri he needed to convince. The regent was rather grim-faced throughout the exchange. He looked at his daughter, for the first time seeing her properly without her veil next to her husband. He recalled her words from two days ago, and he saw how she looked at him. Despite all her early objections against this young man, he could see that she had now come to a state where she couldn't be happy without him. So in the end, Henri was ready to accept Andrei back as well.

Isabel now produced the pardon that she had already prepared, which was to be issued tomorrow, and the second marriage contract that she had hidden. Henri was shocked that he had been so careless while going through the annulment process that he had annulled an already-void contract, but the fact that the second contract remained intact made matters much simpler.

However, Isabel insisted that Andrei's position remain up for further negotiation. The council agreed after much reluctance. She did know the council would be unhappy if she denied him a position and they might challenge her on that decision. In all honesty, she wouldn't even consider having a different chief adviser. But she would make him wait, and wondered with her mischievous curiosity how long it would be before his resolve broke and he would attempt to negotiate his way back into the council.

* * *

When the council adjourned, Prince Henri insisted on meeting with them separately. They moved to the study in the royal suite, which used to be Henri's but was now going to be Isabel's.

"I know you're both tired. I am too. I haven't been able to sleep last night," he said.

"Isabel, have you any idea how worried I have been when I heard you went to Lavigne on horseback when it was dark? How could you be so irresponsible? You know you're not a skilled rider."

Isabel mumbled something about having practiced with Andrei, but she thought it would be wiser not to argue with him on this issue. She had already had to sit through Andrei's chiding on the matter, gentle though it was, during their carriage ride home.

"And why did you never mention the fact that I had annulled the wrong contract?"

This time, Isabel smiled. "I don't know," she said. "Perhaps I had been subconsciously hoping for this very outcome."

Now he turned to Andrei. In truth, the previous night, he had found himself worrying about Andrei as well, when he heard from Miel about the condition of his health, but he did not care to mention that. When he received word that morning that Andrei had taken a turn was on the mend, he had chuckled to himself. Had he really been sick? Or was he simply heart-sick? Or maybe even plotting to win his way back to Jardinia? Isabel would have accused him of scheming not too long ago.

"When you married my daughter," he began, "I had no doubt of your competency as ruler. In fact, I still don't. But perhaps I was too quick to trust your character."

"I cannot express how sorry I am," Andrei started to say.

"Yes," interrupted Henri. "I want you to know that I have never felt so betrayed in my life as when I learned that my trust was misplaced. And I felt even worse upon realizing that in my infatuation with you, I had neglected my own daughter."

Both Andrei and Isabel were quiet.

"I did not think of her happiness once. In many respects, I failed her as her father; but I wanted to assure the both of you that this will no longer happen."

"Yes, your majesty," said Andrei contritely, while Isabel looked at her father, touched. He smiled at his daughter.

"I should be objecting to accepting you back here, but since I've vowed to make sure my daughter is happy, here you are. I hope I don't have to regret that decision."

He squeezed Isabel's shoulder, bid them good night and then retired. Isabel stared after him, surprised to see the protective paternal side of him that she had not had the occasion to witness before.

The truth was that Prince Henri had loved Andrei like a son. And though his sense of betrayal was great, he knew he would eventually forgive the boy. He did not doubt that Andrei cared greatly for his daughter, and if he was truly willing to return to be with her without an official position, that was only further proof of his devotion to her. And he had already played a far greater role in preparing Isabel for the throne than Henri himself ever had. Isabel still needed support, and he was still convinced that Andrei was the best source of that support. But having failed his daughter once, he decided that it was probably best to now play the role of the disgruntled father-in-law.

* * *

There was some confusion regarding setting up new quarters for Andrei. His old attendants had been summoned and they were unsure whether to prepare his old chambers or find him new quarters. Lisette took charge, and picked out a room in the royal suite. But he was hardly in any condition to wait, so Isabel sent him to bed in the royal bedchambers that had been prepared for her. He was asleep as soon as his head touched the pillows.

Isabel stayed up for some time in the parlor of her new suite with Miel and Lisette recounting the events of the past twenty-four hours. They were eager to hear the specifics of her reunion with Andrei, not all of which she felt able to recount without getting embarrassed. She recounted only parts of the conversation during their carriage ride that she thought they would enjoy, and left out all the intimate details.

She told them how incredulous and indignant he had been when he heard that she had come on horseback over such a distance. "I told him he ought to be pleased that I hadn't let my dislike of horses get in the way of coming to him when he needed me." Blushing, she added, "He said 'pleased' would not even begin to cover how he felt. But maybe he meant he was still upset I took the risk."

Isabel had always felt annoyed when she caught her attendants cooing over gentlemen. But now she had to admit she was rather enjoying the rapt attention with which Miel and Lisette were listening.

"Apparently Ioan had told him that he was the villain in my story," she laughed. "I said he was most definitely not the villain; perhaps the damsel. I don't think he liked that, but he said it fits because I was the hero in his story." She felt shy sharing some of these details, but then again she was enjoying some of their gushing reactions.

But it was the most fun to tell them about how Andrei kept saying that he couldn't believe she had really forgiven him. And she had said that she was actually not finished being angry with him and that every day, she would think of something for him to do in order to make it up to her. She had also offered him two conditions. "No more secrets, to which he agreed instantly; and no more wine." Lisette and especially Miel, who was familiar with his proclivity for wine, were rather amused by that.

"He was very indignant, but I insisted I did not wish to take any chances that my husband would drink himself to death."

Miel noted how happily Isabel now said the words 'my husband', when initially she had used to shudder at them. But she asked, "Do you think he would comply?"

Isabel chuckled. "I doubt it."

She was quite exhausted and decided to retire shortly afterwards. Lisette helped her get ready for bed, and then noticed that quite typically of Isabel, she was hesitating to join her husband on the bed.

"If I may say so, your highness, or should I start saying your majesty, you are being rather silly right now," she asserted.

Isabel grimaced, but Lisette was right. It was not like she hadn't spent any nights with Andrei before, though it had never been sleeping next to each other on a bed.

She walked quietly into the large royal chamber and crept into bed next to her husband. She lightly touched his forehead to see if he still had a fever. Then she ran her fingers through his hair, kissed his scar, and lay down to go to sleep.

* * *

The coronation ended up being a smaller event than had been originally intended, due to the postponement. Only some key Jardinian nobility were in attendance. It was just as well, since it reduced the confusion and the questioning regarding Andrei's sudden departure and equally sudden return. Some news of his departure had spread through Jardinia and neighboring kingdoms, but these were mostly disregarded as unverified rumors.

Later, Isabel would confidently be able to say it was the happiest day of her life, although most of it was a blur. The morning was spent in painful preparation to get her appropriately regally attired. Then she performed the traditional walk from the city's central square to the palace. The townsfolk gathered to watch her walk past them as they cheered and showered her with petals and confetti. She walked all the way to the throne, where she took her royal vows as ruler of Jardinia, and then, with a beating heart, she received her crown and her regalia.

The Jardinian nobles came one by one to swear their allegiance to her. Andrei was the last in line to swear allegiance, and he made a big show of it, taking several vows to protect her, to support and guide her, and to cherish her. Isabel did not know whether to laugh or cry. Based on the crowd's reaction, she knew he was still in everyone's good graces. She had to admit that such a heartfelt declaration from him would elevate her own public image as well, and it was just like Andrei to be making such calculated moves.

A small celebration followed, in which the queen and her consort mingled with the guests. As always happened to him, Andrei was the center of attention even though it was Isabel's coronation. He was bombarded with questions about whether rumors of his departure were true (which he tried to avoid by saying he had to travel home for paperwork reasons) and the scar on his face (which he tried to attribute to a hunting accident). Isabel would normally have been extremely irritated by all the attention he was getting, but on this day, every time she looked at him, she only felt an overwhelming sense of happiness. Besides, no matter how much attention he was receiving, Andrei's attentions were focused solely on his wife.


	25. Chapter 25

**_Epilogue: King George, his Brothers, and the Foretlands_**

 **Chapter 25**

King George had declared he would never let Andrei set foot in Fier again. After all, the boy had single-handedly almost destroyed the careful relationships George had been building between Fier and the Foret kingdoms. When tensions would break out again in the Inghetlands due to resource constraints, and he knew it was bound to happen soon, he wanted to make sure he would have the support of his Foret neighbors. He would need them to continue their supply of crops.

He was grateful that the news had not spread beyond the Jardinian council, Ioan and his wife, and now himself. He couldn't imagine how his reputation would be tarnished if his Inghet neighbors ever found out. It would have also been awful if the news had spread through the rest of the Foretlands.

He had sent his brothers to the Foretlands to settle there and spread Fier's influence there. He knew both his brothers were very ambitious, and they would find leadership positions in no time. Besides, it was better to let them go off in search of their own fortunes, rather than squabble over who should inherit how much at home.

Both of them, it turned out, set their sights on becoming king. George wasn't surprised. Ioan, having travelled down there first, had no trouble impressing Lavigne's newly crowned queen, who had little interest in governance. Ioan cleverly offered his support and made himself indispensable to her, and soon she proposed marriage. George had visited the Foretlands during the wedding, and he had quite liked Lavigne and his new sister-in-law.

However, he had thought Andrei had set his sights on a difficult prize. True, there were no other unmarried monarchs in the Foretlands at the time, and Princess Isabel had been the only unmarried heir who would take the throne soon (with no one else to follow for many years); but despite her father the regent's interest in Andrei, she seemed determined to rebuff his attentions. George thought her incredibly haughty and outspoken; but he rather liked the notion of a stronger alliance with Jardinia.

He knew Andrei had a way of getting what he wanted and wasn't altogether surprised when he married into Jardinia, although he was surprised that the wedding had taken place rather quickly and quietly. Apparently Princess Isabel had taken ill; and her illness had left lasting impacts, so she wanted to remove herself from the public eye. He hoped the after-effects weren't life-threatening, but it made sense why she agreed to hand over sovereignty to her husband. George hoped her illness would not get in the way of Andrei securing an heir in Jardinia. The throne would pass only to a daughter.

He had invited both his sisters-in-law to visit Fier, but Princess Isabel had declined due to the poor condition of her health. Queen Adaline, on the other hand, had been delighted to visit and had visited twice so far. She had become favorite among George's wife and mother.

Queen Mother Elisabeta had been rather forlorn when her two younger sons left home. She wrote them frequently, and became impatient when they took too long to respond (which was quite common with Andrei, actually). She had been rather upset that she had not been able to attend either of their weddings, for her health had not allowed her to make a prolonged visit; but now that her three grandsons by George were grown and had little time for her, she had been eagerly anticipating the arrival of more grandchildren. She was particularly eager for a granddaughter.

Ioan and Adaline's visits lifted her spirits greatly, but she still longed to see Andrei. Ioan would crossly remind her that her youngest son hadn't bothered to visit once since he left, so perhaps he didn't deserve the boundless concern she seemed to have for him. She had been a loving mother to all her children, and she had perhaps spoiled Andrei the most, but she had also been very strict with all of them.

She was deeply hurt when she received news of Andrei's treachery. She had written him a rather scathing letter expressing her disappointment in him, which she later regretted when she realized her son was tearing him to pieces over his mistake. She was sorry that she would never get to meet Isabel, of whom Andrei had spoken so lovingly in his letters. But how could he have hurt the one he loved in such a manner? How could he have hurt anyone like that, for that matter (because after all, he hadn't been too fond of her when he caused that curse to happen)?

Then they received news of Andrei's grave illness. Elisabeta wanted to rush to her son immediately, but George said she would only make herself ill as well. His mother may have forgiven and forgotten out of her deep concern, but George was still angry. Although, he had to admit that tone of Ioan's letter was rather worrisome.

And then Andrei pulled off a miracle that only he could. One day they were worrying about Andrei's illness and the next day they received news that he had recovered miraculously, reunited with his wife, and was reinstated in Jardinia. George had spent a great deal of time pondering how to mend relations with Jardinia, but now apparently there was no need.

When his mother kept needling him about being anxious to see her son, George relented and extended his pardon. He wrote to Queen Isabel, inviting her to visit her family by law, and her ally kingdom, who was most grateful at having her continued goodwill.

* * *

Queen Isabel's visit to Fier was more stressful than it needed to have been. George had been most anxious to make her feel comfortable as way of apologizing for the beastly inconvenience caused to her by his brother. However, the task proved to be difficult because she seemed to get very easily offended.

In George's defense, he had never received a female monarch in Fier. Queen Adaline hardly counted because she had passed her sovereignty to her husband and had little interest in discussing terms of trade and alliance. This had suited George very well, since with Ioan there was no need to exercise diplomacy and Ioan had Fier's best interest at heart.

It was really by a force of habit that when discussing politics with Queen Isabel, George tended to address her husband rather than her, which did not sit well with her at all. Fortunately, her haughtiness seemed to have reduced substantially since he last met her at Ioan's wedding, but she had an unsettling way of conveying her displeasure through her expressions and body language.

Fortunately, her visit was more a social rather than political one. Nevertheless, there was some need to discuss politics. She had graciously offer to accept workers from Fier to help run and manage the newly-built bloomeries in Jardinia for steel production, and she was also open to accepting blacksmiths and ironsmiths to settle in her kingdom and apprentice those wishing to learn the trade. Fier had an overabundance of young men in this trade, and Jardinia very few, so it was not difficult to arrive at the terms of the agreement.

Things were also made easier by the fact that the bandit problem in the Foretlands had been much alleviated over the past few weeks ever since rumors had spread about vicious beasts in the Forest. George hoped that finding employment in foreign lands for the restless young Inghet men would reduce the problem of them turning to banditry in the first place, but nevertheless, he warned the young queen that the problem might never go away completely.

She was also very keen on exploring Fier. She had wanted to visit the rural schools in particular, having heard about their high standards from her husband. She had been working with him to improve the conditions in Jardinian schools and the two of them had made good progress on that project, but she was eager to find room for more improvement.

She was also very excited to tour Fier and marvel at its wild icy natural beauty, a stark contrast to the tidy lush greenery of her homeland. She was very cowed by the cold when her husband had insisted on taking her out to the mountains at night, but she stopped complaining and was rendered speechless as soon as she saw what he had brought her out to see. She was completely enthralled by the majesty of the northern lights. George hadn't accompanied them on the trip. His younger two sons had gone with their uncle and aunt, and they had found her utter amazement incredibly amusing, but they had spent the rest of the trip chasing each other around the mountain.

Speaking of Andrei, he also constituted part of the reason why the trip was more awkward than it should have been. He and George were finding it difficult to move past George's banishment of his brother, however briefly it had lasted. Interactions between them were rather cold. He had been reinstated as the queen's chief adviser, and he seemed to wish to drop his role as an ambassador for Fier.

However, this is where their mother proved to be very helpful. The queen mother had had a tearful reunion and reconciliation with her youngest son. Andrei may have sulked a little while longer because of the harsh words she had written him, but he seemed to be reluctant to indulge in petulance in the presence of his wife. Isabel seemed to be uncharacteristically shy around her mother-in-law, but the two seemed to take to each other instantly. Elisabeta seemed most delighted to finally meet the woman who had made her son so happy, and more importantly, who had (unwittingly as it may have been) taught him to take ownership and responsibility of his mistakes.

She did manage to convince Andrei to continue as ambassador for Fier in the Foretlands, and George was relieved to see Queen Isabel providing no objections to it. But he knew he had to be careful around her, because she would keep a sharp eye on Fier's involvement in various Foret affairs.

* * *

George didn't see them again until he and his wife visited Lavigne in the following spring to celebrate the birth of Ioan and Adaline's first child. It was a son, which meant Ioan's succession in the Foretlands had not yet been secured. He was most anxious for both his brothers to secure the succession, but Ioan had had a son, and Andrei had made no progress at all, which seemed odd for a couple who were supposed to be so much in love. However, he had not reconciled with his brother sufficiently to ask what was taking so long.

But he had to be glad that Andrei appeared to be exceptionally happy. The circumstances of his confession and short-lived banishment had been kept contained, so he did not lose his popularity among the Jardinians. The queen delegated all public speaking and diplomacy duties to him since he was so skilled at engaging crowds and charming important lords and foreign sovereigns. She kept tight control over running her court and council, though she relied heavily on her husband's counsel. They worked together as quite a pair, and even George's wife had commented on it.

She had also reproachfully commented on how devoted Andrei was to his wife, so much so that he had given up wine because she forbid it. George had snorted and ignored her. If he knew his brother at all, he had been having his fill behind his wife's back.

George had visited Jardinia for the first time during that trip. Queen Isabel had been arranging for wedding celebrations for her handmaiden or something, which had seemed rather strange to George, and Andrei had said something along the lines that owed much gratitude to both the bride and groom for their support when his wife had been "ill". Prince Henri, in the meantime, was thoroughly enjoying his retirement by spending his days in the library and eagerly awaiting grandchildren, something George wished upon him as well.

When he left to return home, he thought that he was grateful that things were going well with his brothers, and no lasting damage had been done from Andrei's foolishness. He and Andrei had been mending their relationship because after all it was necessary for him to be in frequent touch with his ambassador. They were careful not to discuss the curse. Andrei had brought it up only once. He said he had been seeking out the fairy again to ask whether she still bore his family ill-will, and to make sure she would never harm them again. But she seemed to have disappeared without a trace. Perhaps she had taken her mischief elsewhere.


End file.
